


Listen To Your Heart

by jesaku



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M, POV Alternating, mention of anxiety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:24:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 106,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22970185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesaku/pseuds/jesaku
Summary: Steve was happily married to Danny. But finding your one doesn’t mean that everything was sunshine and rainbows or that all your dreams would come true, or does it?
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 348
Kudos: 285





	1. Calm before the storm

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everybody!
> 
> So, the announcement that Hawaii 5-0 is ending after season 10 gave me the kick in the butt that I needed to finally post my new McDanno fanfiction. It plays in the same univers as [Can't Fight This Feeling](https://archiveofourown.org/%5Bworks/18942094/chapters/44971381%5D)
> 
> It is a WIP & I'll try to post once a week.
> 
> This is kind of a companion piece to season 9 - starting right before 9x10. But since Danny and Steve are married in this one it all will go a little differently. Some chapters will have some original dialogue in them, especialy in the early chapters.
> 
> Part of this fic is beta read by cowandcalf, so thanks for that. English is still not my mother language so if you still find any errors let me know.

Steve woke up smiling. His life was great. He was married to Danny for 3 years, 61 days, 15 hours and 35 minutes. Sometimes he couldn’t believe he was married… with children – yes, plural. Shortly after he had gotten the shorter man to agree to move in together, a cute little blond kitten had been let out of the bag.

Grace’s brother had been sick, and Rachel revealed that the boy had been Danny’s son all along. Steve had to keep Danny calm, tell him to focus on Charlie, not on his rightful anger toward his ex-wife. The detective had switched immediately into protective daddy-mode, donating bone marrow to help his son to get better.

Charlie was healthy now and slowly had become a part of their Ohana. Step-Stan, however, was kind of out of the picture. Rachel and Danny finally found common ground with their co-parenting and were getting along better than ever.

Steve loved having the kids over on the days they spent with Danny. Steve especially enjoyed the weekends. They decided on Steve’s plan to live in Danny’s house throughout the week and to use Steve’s family residence as a weekend beach house. After Junior had shown up nearly one and a half years ago, lost after retiring from the SEAL’s, Steve had offered him a job and had let him stay at his old home. Danny always mocked that Steve was using Junior as an unpaid, live-in facility manager. It was partly true. His old house was nearly as high maintenance as a certain hot, blond detective. 

Anyway, after Junior had moved in, the couple scarcely had stayed overnight, merely using it as easy beach access whenever the kids had been in the mood for a swim. Steve sighed.  
Grace, their oldest, spent more and more time with her friends, even on her weekends with her father. The SEAL missed having her around. Her brother Charlie wasn’t as keen into the beach and the ocean as her when she was younger. Currently, their little boy was into biking. Steve still remembered about the Saturday they had taught Charlie how to ride a bike. The boy had been as brave and stubborn as his dad and wouldn’t have given up. It had been nearly sunset when Charlie finally had gotten the hang of it. Steve had been so proud of him.  
He loved his family.

Sadly, Steve was alone this weekend. Charlie was on a cycling tour with Rachel and the family of one of his school friends. (Steve and Danny both suspected that there was something going on between Rachele and Charlie’s friend’s father). And Danny was on a college tour through California with Grace since Friday morning and would only return Tuesday afternoon. Grace was still on winter break. Danny invited his husband to accompany them, but the SEAL declined, not wanting to intrude what might be one of the last father/daughter trips. He would accompany their tour on the east coast come spring break when they also would visit Danny’s family. 

Because Steve was a grass widower for the next days, he used the occasion to stay at his old house for a change. The sun was shining. He had the weekend off unless a case would show up. It was time to start the day with his morning swim. Junior was already up and running with Eddie the dog who had also become a part of their Ohana.

Steve stood up, did some stretching and then went to change into his trunks. In front of the mirror, he looked down at himself and a smile appeared on his face as his gaze reached a trail of hickeys around his groin and down his inner thigh. The memory about how they got there was still fresh on his mind. 

_They just had showered together. Danny slowly had lathered his body inch by inch as if he had wanted to memorize every detail. After the shower, he had pushed him down onto the bed and then he'd started to kiss his way down, practically from head to toe. Exactly in the same way, he had dragged the washcloth over Steve's body minutes before under the shower. Then he had moved up to the top of his treasure trail again. Kissing and nibbling a little on the skin there, he'd spread Steve’s legs a bit more, then he had put his hands on his lover’s hips and had looked up to him._

_“I want to give you something to remember me while I’m gone.” Danny had said seductively before going to town on his groin, nibbling, kissing, licking and sucking._

_When he had been happy with his work he'd moved on to Steve’s cock and had given him one of the best blow jobs he'd ever gotten. All the while opening him up with the lube he had stashed under the covers at the foot of the bed. After Steve had come, the blond had crawled up the bed to lie next to him and they had cuddled and kissed for a bit until the SEAL had recovered from his orgasm. Then they had turned onto their sides and Danny had slid into his hole, spooning him. The blond had made slow-sweet love to him, teasing his prostate until he had been ready for a second orgasm. In the end, his partner had finished hard and fast, coming deep inside of him. Danny had kept him close for the rest of the night with his strong arms wrapped around him._

When Steve concentrated enough, he could still feel Danny’s soft chest hair tickling his back. The SEAL put on his trunks and was on his way to his swim. Entering the water, Steve thought about Danny again. 

He loved the softness of his lover’s body hair. It was all thanks to that magic soap from the resort on Maui. They stocked up on that stuff after their honeymoon. He smiled, remembering those moments which almost ended up in a disaster: 

_In theory, it had been a brilliant idea. They would kill two birds with one stone. They'd still had some mandatory therapy sessions to fill and he had found this prolonged weekend partner therapy program online. It was held at an awesome resort in Maui, a perfect location for a honeymoon. And the best part because the therapy was ordered by the governor, the beautiful state of Hawaii would pay for the stay. They just would have to pay for the flight. They were smart; they could talk themselves out of the therapy part of the weekend._

_His genius plan might have worked better if it hadn't been for the plane ride problem. Because it had been a last-minute kind of thing, Steve had been able to only get them two seats in coach, unfortunately, separated by an already vacated middle seat. To say Danny had been pissed would have been an understatement. Even more when the blond had noticed the empty seats in first class. But who would book first class for such a short flight, right? Danny had called him a cheap bastard. He'd said that his last name wasn’t McGarrett, but McScrooge and then he had refused to sit next to him when the nice blond girl had offered. In Steve’s mind, Danny had been unreasonable. He still had gotten them a good deal. A little hurt in his pride, he had started a meaningless flirt with the girl in the middle seat to annoy Danny._

_His husband had gone deadly silent and had started to watch a movie in protest. It had been an awful start, but it had had to get worse before it had gotten better. When he had told Danny about the cool and romantic honeymoon, he had arranged for them he might have forgotten about the therapy part, but that had been a minor detail, at least for Steve. Even great plans could have some flaws, right? After a rant of epic proportions, including telling Steve they could skip the part about overcoming sexual incompatibility because he wouldn’t get any, they had been off to their room. Luckily, because of this being a couples event, it had turned out they got a suite. Not that this fact could have consoled his husband._

_Later in the group, they had listened to Loraine explaining what had been in store for the weekend. Danny had whispered to him, that maybe this session would do Steve some good because after the stunt he had pulled, there had been no denying that he had major communication problems. Steve had tried to get on Danny’s good side again. But in his haste to get them out of therapy and between the sheets quickly, he had overdone it in the joined ankle race and had caused his husband a sprain. While the counselor had swooned over him, bandaging Danny’s ankle, his husband’s mood had hit an all-time low. Steve had felt guilty. A cloud of doubt had arisen over his fantastic plan. At least the blonde’s injury had given them an out. He had helped Danny back to their room and had done something he barely did – he had apologized to his partner, basically crawling at his feet, admitting his plan had been half-baked from the start and had been promising to do better. But only when he had offered to pay for a second honeymoon that Danny could plan and a lot of actual sucking up and ass kissing, his husband had forgiven him._

_Loraine had already signed their participation certification, needless to say, they hadn't returned to the group. How Danny’s vision of them at a rustic ski lodge in Aspen, making love in front of a romantic open fire had landed them in the hospital with mild smoke inhalation and why that had been totally Steve’s fault too, was another story._

Steve reached the shore after his nice, long swim. He dried himself, put his tee back on and went back to the house to see if Junior was back. Maybe he could catch Danny and Grace during lunch break. They were 3 hours ahead.

When he entered his kitchen, all hell broke loose.


	2. Going Solo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the next couple of chapters will cover the events of episodes 9x10 - 9x12.  
> The idea was to fill a few blanks that the episodes left open.  
> As I mentioned before there will be some original dialogue. I took the freedom to sometimes change who said a specific line to better fit the context of my story.  
> I also changed the settings of some scenes.  
> To better fit my Story I changed the timeline as well. Come on - no one can convice me Danny would have been able to hold his horses for over a month while his super SEAL was in distress.  
> I hope you'll like my version of our OTP.  
> Now have fun reading. And don't be shy to leave a comment - no matter how short.

Sometimes Steve was wondering how this could be his life. One moment he had a relaxing morning swim and was looking forward to quick chat with the love of his life then poof he got attacked out of nowhere in his kitchen.

_“That is what you get when you spend half your life making enemies while playing army Ranger on suicide mission!” a familiar agitated voice of a certain blond detective kept ranting in his head._

Thank god Danny and the kids weren’t here. While a part of him would miss his husband fussing over him, he wouldn’t miss arguing with him over going to the hospital for this minor injuries. There was no time for something like that now. The goon, that tried to kill him, escaped (and how could that happen? Was he losing his touch?). Trying to catch his breath, the SEAL immediately gripped his phone. A few missed calls from Joe. While loading his spare gun he called back the one person who might give him some answers.

“Where the hell have you been?” Joe asked alarmed. He had tried to reach Steve at Danny’s and no one picked up. Same went for the SEAL’s cellphone and the landline in Steve’s office at HQ. John’s landline had been his last resort.

“Hi, Joe.” Steve greeted back.

“You're in danger,” the other man warned.

“Thanks, buddy. I just figured that out.”

“I take it someone just paid you a visit. Did you put him down?” Joe wanted to know.

“Nope. You want to tell me what the hell's going on?”

“Someone's trying to take out the Morocco team. They're using professional hitters to do it. Brewster, Linehan, and Howard are dead, ” he informed the younger man hastily.

Again, he was grateful that Danny wasn’t here. The blond would have had a minor freak out. Thanks to his training Steve could keep calm and concentrate on the task at hand. There was just one thing he needed to make sure off beforehand.

“What about their families?” The SEAL needed to know if Danny and the kids would be safe.

“Their families were spared, son. Don’t you worry.” Joe knew how Steve ticked and immediately assured him that the people he loved most seemed to be safe.

The feeling of pure relief washed over the dark-haired man. With his family in no immediate danger his mind was right back on target.

“Mm-hmm. You got a plan, Joe?”

“I'm gonna get on a plane, I'm coming to you. We're gonna get to safety, regroup. Figure out our next move.”

That was the safe option, but Steve didn’t care for safe right now. They attacked him at his home, his sanctuary. Even if those killers seemed to be solely after his SEAL team and spared the families, he didn’t want to envision what might could have happened if Danny and the kids were around. Those bastards needed to pay. Steve had another idea. So, he said to Joe, “Or we can use this situation to our advantage right now. Strike while the iron's hot. While they're not suspecting it, we hit them hard.”

“Sounds like you already have a plan.”

“I might. I got to make a phone call.” 

After he called the members of 5-0 to his house Junior came back home with Eddie. The dog immediately found him in the kitchen. He barked shortly and tried to sooth his human by licking at his face.

“Thanks boy, I already feel better.” Steve petted the dog’s head.

Eddie’s bark was what drove Junior to the kitchen instead of upstairs for a shower after his run.

“Commander, what happened? Where are you hurt?” The former SEAL was on Steve’s side on instant checking over the older man’s body.

“Nothing major. Just some cuts and bruises. I’ll tell you everything once the team arrives. For now, just help me up, would you?”

Junior made Steve comfortable in the living room and went for the first aid kit. He was finishing patching Steve up when Tani, Grover, and Adam arrived.

“Oh, my God. How are you even still alive?” Tani asked. She sounded shocked being confronted with the bloody chaos in the kitchen and what Steve had told them about what happened to him.

“Most of that blood's not mine,” Steve reassured her.

“I can't believe I wasn't here for you,” Junior said guiltily. He remembered how Danny had pulled him aside after their last shrimp dinner at Kamekona’s before the detective had left to the mainland with his daughter.

_“Do me a favor and keep an eye on him until I’m back, okay? I have the feeling he is prone to riskier stunts when I’m not around to rein him in.”_

_“Don’t you worry sir; I’ll have his back.”_

That was what he had promised Danny. Look what a poor job he had done so far.

“This guy was a pro, man. He knew what he was doing. He took his chance when he knew I was alone.” Steve tried to console the younger man. It had to be a pro. After all he had observed him long enough to know that he currently was staying at his old house and not at his registered address at Danny’s. He didn’t dare to hope that the info the hitmen had were so old that they didn’t know about Danny and him and therefor had attacked him at the beachhouse. There was no time to think about the if’s now. He had to inform his team about his next steps.

“I know why I was targeted. This is blowback from an operation that I was on back in 2002. I was part of a six-man SEAL team; we went into Morocco; we took out a high-value target. Over the last 24 hours, three of my team have been assassinated. Myself, Joe White, and another SEAL are the last men standing. The man we killed headed up an entire terrorist network. There could be hundreds, probably more like thousands of people looking for revenge behind this. We got to draw them out. But the only way we can do that is if they believe we're vulnerable.”

“So that's why you didn't want to involve HPD,” Adam said understandingly.

“It's got to be quiet. It has to be off the books. Yes, I need your help.” Steve further explained.

“Please stop talking to us like we're a bunch of strangers. You need some help; you know you got it. Just tell us what you need” Grover offered. Steve looked grateful. He was proud of his team.

“Your first crime scene's in the kitchen. I need an ID on the guy who tried to take pieces off me. Right, you got a gun for ballistics, his blood on the floor.” Steve said, pointing to the room he was attacked in. Tani was already on it, packing up the gun.

“Right, he left a lot of blood. I can get Noelani to run this. I'll make sure she gives the results directly to us.” She told Steve and went into the kitchen.

“Hey, should I call Danny? Let him know what's going on?” Adam asked.

“Please, don't do that. Okay, he's on the mainland, he's-he's touring colleges with Grace. He gets a whiff of this, he's gonna be on the first plane back here. We don't need that.” His family was safe for now. He didn’t need to put a big bold target on his husband’s back with including him in this.

Adam’s expression to his request told the SEAL that his friend wasn’t happy with this decision. But Kono’s ex-husband was smart enough not to question Steve’s resolution.

“All right-- oh, hey. One more thing. While we're out here looking for your new best friend, what's your move? Because I-I know how you get down. It ain't gonna be you go underground and-and the Navy is gonna stash you someplace, so what are you gonna do?” Grover wanted to know.

“Joe and I got a plan. I need you to trust me. All right?” Steve asked his team to bear with him.

“Okay,” Grover said still sounding concerned. 

The leader of 5-0 thanked his Ohana.

After that Grover and Adam followed Tani into the kitchen. Junior stayed put where he sat. He still felt guilty and wanted to help.

“If SEALs are involved, I'm coming with you.”

Steve knew Junior would say that, so he tried to let the young man down gently, but still making himself clear.

“It's just me and Joe on this one. You want to avenge team guys, you do it from here. And don't come looking for me. You're not gonna find me.”

“Copy that,” the younger man didn’t sound happy with the news. Danny was so going to kill him. For now, though he had to focus on helping Steve.

“One question. SEAL identities are classified.” Junior said. McGarrett nodded, encouraging his team member to go on.

“Which means someone with clearance had to leak those names.”

“You are right and I'm pretty sure I know who it was.”

He knew who sold them out and he knew where to find her. Together with Adam, he was off to the U.S. penitentiary in Victorville, California, Greer’s current address. Adam would call in an old favor to try and get some information’s to help the SEAL. When Steve switched his phone back on after the flight, later that evening, he saw that Danny had sent him some pictures of him and Grace at UCLA. He smiled and decided to send a reply, so his husband wouldn’t get suspicious. So, he typed:

_`Drive careful, heard traffic there is a bitch. Must be nice to get to drive for a change ;-)´_

A quick reply from his husband followed.

_`I knew being away from you had its benefits. ;-) Miss you, though. :-*´_

Steve smiled. Mr. Goofythumbs finally figured out how to send emojis thanks to Gracie. Thinking about the girl Steve texted back.

_`Miss you, too. Go have fun. Tell Grace I said hi. ´_

After his last reply, he put his phone away. Unfortunately, it was too late to see Greer right away. He had to pull some strings to be able to get to visit her tomorrow morning. So, Steve decided to meet up with Joe to further strategize their plan. He had called the older man right before boarding the plane to let him know where to meet him. 

After his lovely talk with Greer, Steve left the visitor cell and met Adam down the hall. He informed him, that he would be able to talk to an old inmate later. Adam was hopeful he would find out who Greer's talking to on the outside. When Steve started to walk to the exit, Adam held him back.

“Hey, Steve?”

“What?”

“You're really not gonna tell us where you're going?”

“Good luck with the old man,” was all that the SEAL said before he left the building. It was for the best.

Outside the prison, Joe was already waiting for him in a car.

“You sure no one at Five-O knows about the ranch?” He asked Steve when he got in the car.

“No one knows, Joe. Not even Danny.” Even while married, Steve mostly held all things classified back from his husband and partner.

“Good. I don't want them rolling up playing the hero. I know you gave very clear instructions, but knowing them, we better power down the phones so they can't track us.”

For a second, Steve considered sending Danny another message, but then he dismissed the idea. They had a solid plan and would probably be back before Tuesday anyway. There was no reason to worry his husband.

„Plane's fueled up, the airstrip's 20 minutes away. It pays to have friends in the Agency. Come on, the clock is ticking on our head start. What are we waiting for?” wondered the older man.

“You sure you want to come? I mean, you've been in the shadows for a year and a half. Why don't you stay there? You don't have to be there, Joe. I got this.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure, because the thing is, I don’t want to have a certain blond detective up my ass if something does go wrong. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you have all the fun.”

Steve chuckled, but then got serious again.

“It will work, right?”

“Of course, son. The plan makes sense. Your plan.”

“Yeah.” Steve was still a little doubtful.

“Within the hour, hostiles will be headed for the ranch. We will take them out and be home before you know it.”

“Right. “


	3. Fatherfigure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe spends his last moments with Steve. A final heart to heart reveals a last tiny secret.
> 
> \------------------------------------S<3D----------------------------------------------

They landed in Montana less than two hours later. They organized a truck and were off to the ranch. From the airport, it was only a few miles to the Bitterroot Valley. It was early Sunday afternoon. A time he often spent in bed with Danny, sharing some `Afternoon-delight´ when they had the day off and it wasn’t their weekend with the kids. Steve sighed.

“What?” Joe asked.

“Nothing, was just expecting ice and snow this time of year.” Steve was surprised that the beautiful woody-mountain landscape that reminded him of his short trip to Vermont with Danny after the liver transplant, looked like it merely hit autumn. 

“That’s what you get with climate change.”

They passed another ranch and Joe informed him, that it belonged to an Ex-Army member that he already asked to leave for Missoula to forgo collateral damage. When they reached the cabin to their surprise their SEAL teammate Cole was already waiting for them. Turned out he wouldn’t let them face this situation alone. And he brought some weapons to the party. Not that they were dependent on them. Joe’s place came with an armory. They immediately got to work, preparing for their attackers' arrival.

Steve had fun catching up with Cole and his bachelor life. When Joe came in and asked him to land him a hand one and a half hour later, he sent Cole out to lay out some Claymore mines and then followed Joe into the other room.

“It's been four hours since Greer could've got the word out. They could be arriving any time,” Joe said.

“Yeah, as soon as we put the 240 together and Cole finishes setting a perimeter, he's gonna take sniper Overwatch,” Steve explained while continuing to barricade the windows.

When Steve picked up some cotter pins of one of Joe’s bags, he found a picture of a woman.

“What's her name?“ Steve asked his mentor.

“Zahra.”

“Okay, Zahra. Love in the sunset years of your life. Who would have thought?”

“Not everybody can be as lucky as you and find love at work.”

Steve smiled at that. Thinking of Danny.

“Where'd you meet her?” The leader of 5-0 wanted to know.

“Nairobi, where I've been living.”

“Uh-huh. She a civilian?”

Joe sighed heavily at the question.

“Pediatrician. Are these questions going to come to an end eventually?”

“How did you get a beautiful doctor to be with you? “ Steve teased.

“Your guess is good as mine.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I'm happy for you. Why Nairobi, though? Why'd you land there?”

“Good people, strong coffee. Figured I'd spend some time there when I hung it up.”

“You haven't been contracting, huh?”

“No. A year as a prisoner on a dirty cot gives you a lot of time to reflect on losing a step. Plenty of sleepless nights to realize that it's a younger man's game.”

“Danny said something like that to me, too, when I came back from your rescue mission last year.”

“He is a smart one, your Danny. Some of these days you should listen to him. You’ve been fighting the good fight for about 20 years now. Not only for the Navy but also with your task force. Maybe you should think about stepping back. What happened to your restaurant idea?”

“We transferred the restaurant to Kamekona shortly after we opened. It stressed me out and it didn’t feel right. It was definitely not what I wanted for the rest of my life. Danny felt similar. So, letting Kamekona buy us out was the best option. To be honest, for me it never really was about the restaurant, but about doing something with Danny.”

“Maybe you two should find yourself a hobby.”

“I’m quite happy solving crimes with him.”

“Just think about it, I know you have a strong call of duty, but there has to be something besides work you must want out of life.”

There was something McGarrett had been thinking about for a while now, but he hadn’t told Danny so far. He wasn’t sure how to start that particular conversation. Maybe his old mentor had an idea?

Before Steve could answer Joe, Cole came back in. It was time.

**Around an hour later:**

Turned out while the plan, in theory, was good, it was useless against the initial supremacy of their enemies. They lost Cole, their best shot, according to Joe, and just could hope to be able to bring him home while they continued to fight for their lives. But slowly they could decimate their assailants. Everything was happening fast. It was like they were back in a war zone. Explosions and fire exchange everywhere. A few shooters had made it past the mine-zone, coming to the house. Thanks to some of their booby traps, it was down to one shooter when Steve heard Joe groan in pain.

“Joe, you hit?” he asked his mentor. 

“It's nothing.”

“All right. Move it.” They went looking for the last shooter.

After Steve was finally able to eliminate the last target, Joe sank down to the floor.

“How bad is it? Through-and-through?” Steve asked the older man.

“No, but I've seen worse.”

“Keep the pressure on it, Joe. All right? You'll be all right.” Steve searched for the satellite phone and found it near the table.

“No, no, no…” he mumbled. It was dead - hit by a ricochet shot. He tried his cellphone next and switched it back on.

“Shit, no reception. Damn it!” What could he do now to help his friend? 

“Yeah, comes with being in the middle of nowhere.” Joe explained calmly.

“Okay… Where's the nearest clinic? I'll drive 130 if I have to.” But with a look out of the window, he realized that driving wasn’t an option.

“Cars are all shot to hell.” He informed Joe.

“Yeah. I was afraid of that. But we have another play.”

“What's that?”

“Another one of my neighbors, three miles across the valley, the guy's a car collector and he has a landline.”

“Oh, yeah? How we gonna get there?”

"If my memory serves, we drove right past some perfectly good horses.” He reminded Steve of the Ex-Army man’s ranch they passed on their way here.

“I don't think Dexter would mind if we took a couple out for a spin. You rode plenty in Afghanistan.”

“Say no more.” 

Steve made his way over to the other ranch and came back with two horses as fast as he could. All the while checking for reception, but without luck. He had also made a break in into Dexter’s house. He had a landline too, but the phone was dead. The hitters must have cut the telephone line on their way to Joe’s ranch, maybe even got a jammer for the cells in the area. But hopefully, they didn’t get as far as Joe’s other neighbor. 

When Steve got back, Joe was outside. He had just put a blanket over Cole’s lifeless body. He got on the horse and then they were on their way. Riding through the beautiful mountain landscape, that soon would be kissed by the last rays of the day’s sun, like a bat out of hell. It was surreal. Joe noticed that he got weaker with every passing yard. It dawned on him, that he wouldn’t make it this time. He didn’t want to spend his last minutes on a horseback. When they reached a lone, beautiful, old ponderosa pine, he knew that’s where he could die in peace. He told Steve to stop.

“What?” The SEAL asked confused. They were in the middle of nowhere. Why would Joe want to stop here?

“I said stop!”

This time Steve did as he was told. Bewildered, he watched Joe climbing off the horse.

“What are you doing? The ranch is only 2 more miles away.”

But Joe didn’t answer him. He was staggering over to that old pine tree.

“Hey, I'm talking to you.” He tried to get his mentor’s attention. Then Joe turned around.

“I'm sorry.” He really was. He was glad, that Steve was safe now and at his side in his time of dying. But he wished, the man that was like a son to him, wouldn’t have to witness seeing him die. He knew that Steve has already lost some of his SEAL-brothers over the years, just two last year and that his death would hit the younger man hard. 

Joe’s face told Steve that his old friend had reached a point of no return, believing he wouldn’t make it to a hospital in time. But Steve knew better. Joe had to have more fight in him. He had a girlfriend to return to.

“Damn it, Joe, no. What's the matter with you?! Get back on the horse.” Oh, the irony. He sounded just like Danny.

“No, it's-it's useless, Steve.”

“What are you talking about? What, are you gonna give up? That's not you. It's not what you do. That's not us.” Steve was angry, how could Joe dare to give up?

“Please, stop, Steve. It is too late.”

“Stop saying it, Joe. Don't say it.” He couldn’t lose Joe, too. God, if he just had gotten to the last shooter quicker. If he just never had started something with Greer all those years ago. It was all his fault.

“Steve, Steve,” the older man groaned in pain. He pulled up his shirt, explaining to Steve.

“My liver is hit. Bullet's still in there raising holy hell.” 

He was an idiot! Of course, the riding must have made it worse. He should have left Joe at his cabin and go to get help alone.

“Please, Joe. Just hold on. I get to your neighbor and call for help. Then I come back and pick you up.”

“No, it's all right, Steve. I’m dying. Stay with me, would you?”

“Joe… Joe, no, please.” It couldn’t end that way. His plan was supposed to work, get them safe and give them more time to figure out who was after them. But it failed. He was devastated.

The older man gave Steve a sad smile, then panted.

“You gonna give me a hand or what?” He asked, already heading for the pine tree again.

Feeling helpless, he finally decided to grant Joe his wish. So, he helped his friend over to the tree so he could rest against his stem.

“Come here. Good job. Oh, I got you. I got you, Joe. All right. Okay. Here we are.” Steve said softly and pulled his bullet-proof vest off.

Joe was breathing heavily. Steve tried to get him more comfortable. The younger man started to realize that this was it for his friend. But there was something he had to tell him before he passed away. Joe needed to hear it.

“There's something I never thanked you for, Joe.”

“Yeah?”

“I never thanked you for Carlsbad.”

“Carlsbad? What are you talking about?”

“My first week in military school, when I stole that car.”

“Why would you go and do a dumbass thing like that?”

“Well, gee. I don't know. I thought my mother was dead, my father just shipped me off like I was a parcel. I don't know, I just I wanted to get the hell out of there, get back to Hawaii any way I could. You know? A 16-year-old kid gets pulled over in a stolen car, you don't-- That doesn't just go away. You don't just walk away. I figured somebody made a call. Pretty sure that was you, right?”

Joe smiled while remembering that day.

“Now that you mention it, it does sound familiar. Your mother had people watching you. When she got word of the arrest, she reached out to me. Called in a few favors. I was-I was happy to do it.” It got harder to speak for Joe with every word and breath.

“Yeah, well. That night changed the course of my life, Joe. I realized that night that somebody believed in me. Even though I'd given up believing in myself. If I hadn't have gotten off with that warning, I-I never would have gone on to the SEALs. To Five-O. To Danny. That's it. That's what I had to thank you for.” He pulled his friend tighter to his chest, still not ready for the last goodbye that was about to come.

“Have you lost your mind, son? You've thanked me every day since with the man you've become. With the work, you've done. The life you are living. I’m glad you didn’t have to wait as long as I did, to find someone to share your life with. Seeing you getting married was one of the happiest days of my life.”

“Wait a moment… what? You were at my wedding?” Steve asked astonished. He had sent Joe an invitation but never got a reply, so he figured his mentor was contracting somewhere around the time of the wedding and never got the invitation on time.

“Not directly, but close by. Your mother and I watched you from a ship, anchoring a few miles out of your beach. She got her hands on some damn fine top notch military binoculars.”

“My mother was there too?” Steve couldn’t believe what he heard. Even if it would be typical for Doris.

“Of course, she was. I tried to coax her to go see you in person, but you know how she is. If you ask me, I think she was afraid to face your aunt.”

“Oh yeah, Deb would’ve given her a piece of her mind.” Steve smiled, thinking about his late feisty aunt.

“So yeah, we watched you from afar. She will continue watching over you, even when I’m gone.” Joe said and winced in pain again.

“I got you. I got you” Steve assured. God, he couldn’t lose his guardian angel.

But Joe wasn’t finished with his last heart to heart with Steve.

“Listen. The way I looked out for you, that's the way that you are watching over the people in your life now. I couldn't be prouder of the man you've become. You know the only thing I regret is not having that experience, being a father. Witnessing all your child’s firsts. But you are like a son to me. Even if I got only snippets of you growing up when you were a kid.”

Steve was touched by Joe’s words. He felt the same. The older man was his father figure ever since John sent him away. He was sure Joe knew that. He pulled Joe into his arms. Anger mixed in with his sadness. It was directed at Greer and the man that was responsible for taking Joe away from him. He would get justice for his friends.

“We're gonna get him, Joe. You know that, right?”

“Of that, I have no doubt. I just have one more question, Steve.”

“Anything. Anything, Joe.”

“Have you ever in your life seen a sunset like that?”

Steve sniffled.

“No, Joe, I haven't” were the last words he said to his mentor. When he looked at him again, Joe had closed his eyes forever. Steve broke out into sobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll finally catch up with Danny.


	4. Road trip with monkey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we take a little break from the action with Steve and we will find out what’s going on with Danny and Grace on their college tour.
> 
> \-----------------------------------------S<3D-------------------------------------

Danny was exhausted when they had landed at LAX late Friday afternoon. Stupid time difference. They had to fly coach because his budget didn’t allow him to buy first-class tickets. Thank god he could bring his daughter to be rational about how many clothes to bring. It all fit into the little trolley case that they could take with them on board. He would go crazy if he had to wait at the baggage claim right now. This way, they just had to board the shuttle that would take them to the rental car station.

After the paperwork was taken care of, they were sitting in a white Nissan Versa and were off to Mary’s place. Steve’s sister let them stay at her apartment while she and Joanie were at a kid-friendly spa resort in Napa with their mommy and me group. Danny was pretty sure that this was one reason why Steve decided to stay in Hawaii. No point in flying to L.A. if his sister wasn’t there. The other reasons were that at least one of them should be available for 5-0 if a case showed up and that Steve wanted them to enjoy some father/daughter time without him tagging along like a fifth wheel, not that his husband used those exact words. Danny had assured him that he wouldn’t intrude his time with Grace, but Steve still declined to come with them. 

Now the SEAL was home alone. Since his husband wanted to stay at the beach house, Danny had put Junior on Steve-watch to make sure he wouldn’t do something stupid. So, what could go wrong? Steve was an adult. It wasn’t that he would find himself in a situation like the little dude from those home alone movies, right? Then why had Danny this weird feeling in his gut ever since he bid Steve goodbye?

He barely had time to approach his new surroundings. Because it was too late for a campus tour at UCLA, Grace wanted them to check out some cool student pubs after taking a quick shower. While they were on their way to a place that according to Yelp sold the most delicious and decadent fries and milkshakes of L.A., his daughter caught him glancing at his phone every few minutes.

“Danno, relax. Stop worrying. Uncle Steve won’t set the kitchen on fire or anything like that. He sounded totally fine when we called him while we waited in line at the rental car station. Try to have some fun, will you?”

Stop worrying, she said. How could he do that? Worrying was ingrained in his DNA. It was what he did. Especially when it came to his crazy super SEAL husband. But he wanted to make his monkey happy, so he said, “Okay, maybe you are right. I’ll try to relax a bit more. So, why don’t you tell me more about this masterpiece of a fry dish?”

To his own surprise, he had enjoyed himself eventually. Yelp was right. This Poutine stuff was awesome. The cheese went well with the fries and the gravy. The owner of the pub was from Canada and brought this dish with him. Because it was a large portion, they shared a plate. That left them with some room for dessert. Grace decided they should visit the ice cream parlor she also read about online. It was just a few blocks from the pub. They decided to take a stroll through the neighborhood. Danny liked the flair of the Westwood Village. He still wasn’t keen on Grace going to college on the mainland. But he could see her here. With Mary, she had Ohana nearby. If it wasn’t for the earthquakes and the high crime rate. At least L.A. didn’t make it to the top 10 this year.

They just arrived back at Mary’s when Steve called. Grace mockingly made moony eyes and kissing sounds. Just like his sisters back in Jersey did whenever he called a girl when he was a teenager. To make her stop, Danny used his fatherly authority and send his daughter to bed. Afterward, he and Steve talked for a bit and when his husband assured him that he hadn’t blown up O’ahu since he left, Danny went to bed at ease.

Saturday after a late breakfast, they drove to UCLA for the official campus tour. He had gotten nervous again because he hadn’t heard from his husband yet. Grace reminded him about the time difference and that even her Uncle Steve slept in on occasion. Later that day, he had sent him some goofy photos of him and Grace and was happy that he got a reply soon after. But his worry was back when Steve didn’t call that night. Grace told him to chill and to call him himself if he was that worried. But he explained that he didn’t want to come off as a controlling spouse. His daughter rolled her eyes at that. 

They went to bed early because they wanted to take Highway 1 up to San Francisco tomorrow. They would stay over at Chin’s before they would visit Stanford on Monday and finally Berkley on Tuesday morning before their flight back home. Just the best for his baby girl. She was smart with good chances of getting accepted, but of course, the pessimist in him doubted she would be lucky enough to lend a full-ride scholarship somewhere. He was hoping that the college fund he set up for her would be enough to cover most of the expenses.

He wasn’t less worried Sunday morning when they packed their bags and headed north. Steve hadn’t replied to his good night text message or his good morning greet. His mind wasn’t on their little road trip and that started to annoy Grace. 

“Danno, please stop worrying about Uncle Steve. It is not good for your health. Listen. I texted with Will last night. 5-0 probably got a case. He said his dad left that morning, heading into work and wasn’t back home when we said our goodnights. Uncle Steve obviously had switched his phone off at some point yesterday afternoon because of that case. Remember what you told me when I was little? I never should worry when I couldn’t reach you on your workdays, you probably have your phone off anyway because a ringing or beeping phone could bust you while you are out in the field.”

Surprisingly, his daughter’s words calmed him instantly. She was probably right. That would explain everything.

“When have you gotten so smart, monkey?”

“I’m your daughter, I was born this way.” She replied with sass. It made Danny smile.

“I’m so proud of you, fruit of my loin!” Both laughed at that.

A few hours later they reached Big Sur. When Grace spotted a sign reading ` Elephant Seal Vista Point´ she said, “Let’s visit some of Uncle Steve’s distant relatives.”

They had fun watching the elephant seals. Danny joked that they must be from Steve’s mother’s side of the family because the big males were obnoxious, snappy and aggressive and even would bulldoze their own young while fighting for their goal. Danny was in a better mood when they carried on.

They got stuck in traffic on their way into San Francisco. It was Sunday afternoon and a lot of people came back to the city from their weekend trips. They were just in time for dinner with Chin, Abby, and Sara at an authentic Chinese restaurant far away from the tourist spots. It seemed like an insider place only known by locals.

During dinner, they caught up with each other’s lives. After a rough start, with him being the haole for once and hating the sometimes foggy weather in San Francisco, Chin had settled in nicely. They had started to form a task force of their own. He and his new teammates were getting along great, but they weren’t as close as 5-0 yet. Sara liked her new school and already made a lot of friends. She had started to play soccer last summer. Abby sometimes still had trouble with kind of being a working mom and was a bit jealous because it came easier for Chin. They asked Grace what she was looking for college vise and his monkey just shrugged and said that she had to feel it, whatever that meant.

Eventually, the conversation got to Danny and Steve. Grace told their friends all about her father’s obsession with getting in contact with his husband when they heard him sigh after he had looked at his phone.

“So still nothing, I assume?” Abbey said sympathetically.

“Don’t worry, brah. I bet they are close to solving the case. He’ll call you as soon as the booking is done. And as he told me when I last spoke to him, he’s more cautious since your intervention last year.” Chin said. Always cool like a cucumber. The calm in the storm for his Ohana.

“Sure, if you would call jumping after a perp into a sand mixer being more cautious.”

“He did what?” Abby said, sounding shocked. That’s how their conversation turned into a retelling of Steve’s latest and former stunts. 

Before Danny went to bed that night, he tried calling Steve. It went straight to voice mail. The blonde sighed heavily. Grace was right, worrying wasn’t good for him. He sent his husband one last text, though.

_`Getting a bit worried here. Please put me out of my misery and call me as soon as you see this. No matter the time. Love you.´_

Danny got under the bed covers not knowing that he would feel worse when he would finally hear from his husband.


	5. Keep on moving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple of chapters are my take on what happened between 9x10 and 9x11.  
> And we are back to Steve!

Steve didn’t know how long he had sat under the pine tree with Joe in his arms. But it had become colder and it was dark when he finally moved again. The pain he felt about Joe’s death was too much. His SEAL training kicked in. Autopilot took over, shutting off his emotions, thinking practically, planning the next steps, setting himself back in motion. He secured Joe’s dead body on the horse and rode further in the direction Joe had given him. To where his neighbor with the hopefully intact landline lived.

When he arrived at Joe’s neighbor’s ranch later that night, he realized pretty quickly, that he wasn’t at home. If he only lived here during the summer or if he was on some kind of New Year’s vacation, Steve didn’t know and didn’t care. A part of him was even grateful that the owner wasn’t home. That way he didn’t have to explain the situation that had led to Joe’s dead body. 

Luckily the house was barely secured, so it was easy for Steve to let himself in. He scanned the living room and found a big blanket. He went outside again to wrap Joe’s body with the blanket and then bedded him down onto the couch. He just needed his mentor close by. After that, the SEAL went into the kitchen to get himself some water to drink. He had to keep himself hydrated so he could keep moving. He would look for some food later but first, he had to make some arrangements. 

After Joe’s close call last year, he had given Steve the number of the lawyer he engaged with his funeral arrangements and to administer the estate. The guy was a former Judge Advocate General’s Corps member who lived in Washington D.C. He pulled out his cell – he still hadn’t reception – to look for the contact information. He needed to take care of that for Joe. His mentor would have done the same for him. Steve looked at the grandfather clock in the living room. It was shortly after midnight. That meant it was around two in the morning in D.C. – too early to make that call. But it was only eight o’clock in the evening in Honolulu. He could give his team a call to find out if they had gotten closer to find out who was behind all of this. He grabbed the landline phone typed in the number Jerry taught him to block his caller ID and then dialed Grover’s number. They would figure out eventually from where his call had come from, but it would buy him some time. While he needed their help, he couldn’t put them in actual danger by asking them to come. Not even Danny. Especially not Danny.

“Lou,” Steve didn’t recognize his own voice when he finally made the call.

“Thank God. Where the hell are you?” Grover asked worriedly.

“Safe for the moment. But I’ll be on the move again soon.” He couldn’t bring his team into this mess. It was better if he stayed off the grid.

“What happened, Commander?” 

Steve could hear Junior’s voice. Grover must have put him on speaker phone.

Junior had asked his boss, using the SEAL’S rank as a way to get Steve to talk.

“Targets are all down. Casualties – two. One dead on the scene, the other succumbed to his injuries.” Giving his report in military jargon came easy to him. This he could do. 

“Shit, Steve! Why didn’t you call us sooner?” Tani scolded.

“No reception,” came his short reply.

“Tell us where you are, and we’ll come to get you!” Grover said, mind still set on getting Steve to reveal his location.

“No. Lou… I need you to stay out of it.”

“Commander, with all due respect, you need backup. You shouldn’t do anything alone.” Junior stated.

“I’ll call when I need help. I promise, but you all have to stay put for now, okay?” Steve asked pleadingly. 

“Steve, you can’t be serious?” Tani objected.

“Guys, I appreciate your offer to help. But all I need from you right now is to know what you could find out. Any news about the hitter? What about Greer?” He needed information.

“Look, Steve, I'm just gonna give it to you straight. Greer escaped.” Grover said, resigned to Steve’s stubborn plea.

“What?” Steve shouted. How had that could happen? Who had she paid off? When he found the person who was behind this, Greer was next on his list. 

“Adam's with the California authorities now, they're trying to find her. In the meantime, we have some good news. We found your hitter from this morning. He gave us the name of a lawyer from Denmark whose name is Gregers Thomsen. He set everything up for his very rich client. Couple minutes before you called, we ID'd that client. His name is Omar Hassan.” Tani explained, following Grover’s lead on giving their boss the information he asked for.

“Omar Hassan is the son of the high-value target we took out on that operation in Rabat, 2002. He was about ten years old then.” Steve thought out loud.

He should have known that the op from his past would bite him in the ass one day. It was all about revenge. 

“Commander, he has the resources to send more hitters after you. You should let us help you.” Junior wouldn’t give up.

“Junior, listen to me. If I stay off the radar, he might think he got us all. It is a good cover for now. It will keep me safe for a while longer. You know that.” He needed the younger man to see reason.

“He just wants to help you, we all do,” Tani reassured.

“I know and I’m thankful for that,” he said to her. 

“Commander…” A last weak objection.

“Junior, as soon as I know how to get to Hassan, I’ll call you. I won’t go after him alone. I promise.”

“Okay.” Danny would have his head Junior was sure of that. The Detective asked him to have an eye on Steve for him, but he failed the blond big time.

“Oh, and Steve there is one more thing you should probably know. Grover not only got Thomsen’s name out of your attacker he also found out that the instruction was to only go after you SEAL’s and to spare their families. That means Danny and the kids should be safe.” Tani explained.

“After what you just told as it would be fitting that Hassan would spare the families so that they have to suffer like he had.” Junior concluded.

“Yeah. That’s possible.” Steve agreed.

“Now that we know that Danny is not a target, what should we tell him?” Grover asked their leader.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.” Steve thanked his team and promised once more to call again.

His team got him a lead on a lawyer named Gregers Thomsen from Copenhagen. It was time to call in some favors but first, he needed to handle his husband.

The SEAL didn’t know what to feel when he dialed Danny’s number. A part of him wanted nothing more than to hear the detective’s voice trying to comfort him. On the other hand, Steve knew the comforting would only come after a round of ranting and he had neither the nerves nor the time for that at the moment

He was a little surprised that he felt a bit relieved when he only reached Danny’s voicemail and not the man himself. His husband must be already asleep. Not being sure of when he would have the next chance to call the blond, he made the decision that it was better to leave him a message than letting him be clueless of the current situation for even longer.

“Danny, listen. Greer fucked us over. Sold us out to the enemy. The whole SEAL-Team is down. Joe…he’s gone. 5-0 found a lead. I have to go after the guy who gave the order to execute the Morocco-Team. Baby, we found out you and the kids are not in danger right now and I’ll make sure that it stays that way. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I try to stay safe. Love you, bye.”

After he ended the call, he took a deep breath. He knew the voicemail solution wasn’t ideal and that Danny would probably be fuming about it, but he was out of options at the moment and he had bigger fish to fry. Time for the next step. He went to the bathroom. The adrenaline had faded, and he finally felt the pain of his own injuries. It was time he took care of himself.


	6. Staying focused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is everybody doing after the series finale?
> 
> Here is my next chapter. A bit more of lone wolf Steve. But he seeks for help. Have a nice weekend.
> 
> \-----------------------------------------S<3D----------------------------------------------

After leaving his husband the message, Steve went into the bathroom to look for a first aid kit. He found what he needed in the lower cabinet. He patched himself up as best as he could. Happy about the distraction the stinging pain of the antiseptic offered. 

When he was finished, he went back to the living room and tried to reach Catherine. He had gotten a few possible numbers from her when they last had seen each other. She herself couldn’t predict where on the planet she might be at a certain time. The SEAL wasn’t dumb. He knew he needed help in revenging Joe but as good as his team and Danny might be, there was little they could do right now. He sighed as the first number turned out to be a dead end. Thinking about Danny wasn’t helping either. God, a part of him wanted him here, to fall into his husband’s strong and loving arms. Let Danny comfort him. He would soak in that familiar smell of laundry detergent, cinnamon (probably from the Malasadas) and a little spicy-musk from his aftershave and the froofy hair products. All combined the wonderful smell of home, safety, and love. God, he missed the blond. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to show his weakness. He would just cling to his husband and sob until there were no more tears left. No matter how good it would feel to let Danny take care of him; in the end, it wouldn’t solve anything. There was no room for emotions at the moment. There would be a time for that later when he finished this mission.

The second number turned out dead too. He still had three chances to get a hold on his Ex. The third number was still functioning, but it went straight to voicemail. So, he left a message,

“Cath, it’s me. I really need your help. It’s about Joe. It’s SNAFU. Please call me back ASAP. Don’t try my cell. I’m in the middle of nowhere and don’t have reception right now. All details when we get to talk in person.”

Steve got no better luck with the other two lines. He left her one more message though.

Steve felt a little relieved now that he had at least left messages for Cath and was hoping to hear from her soon. He went into the kitchen to get some kind of nourishment his body was craving. However, after he gulped down some water and ate an old granola-bar he got restless again. There were still a few hours until he could try to call Joe’s lawyer. Despair and helplessness were impending on the horizon. He couldn’t give in to what he felt. The last time it was so hard to get himself under control and compartmentalize was when Danny was shot by that lunatic. Nevertheless, at least then he could focus on keeping the love of his life alive. Now all he could do was wait and try to not let the dark thoughts about not being able to prevent all of this get to him. 

“NO!” Steve screamed at no one in particular. It helped him to release some anger. He couldn’t do nothing. Joe’s body was safe here. He would go back to his mentor’s cabin to retrieve Cole’s body. He had to keep his team together.

Remembering that Joe had mentioned his neighbor was a car collector, Steve went to look for the garage. In the kitchen he found a door leading to the big barn in which all the cars were parked. Hopefully one of them would be ready to drive. He turned on the light that was installed in the barn. Since the cars were covered the SEAL felt a little like a kid unwrapping Christmas presents. There were some real beauties. He noticed the blue Corvette Stingray and the real antique Ford Model T, neither of them were what he needed right now. He also found an Aston Martin. He had seen it in one of the Bond movies. Not suitable either. Finally, he found an Oldsmobile from the 50ies. Large trunk and backseat. Bingo! Now he just needed to find where the car keys were stashed. Steve scanned the barn and localized a wooden rack from where the keys were hanging down. He quickly found the key for the Oldsmobile and prayed to a higher power that the car would start. 

Luck was on his side for once and he sighed in relief. But the next obstacle was right around the corner. How would he get the car out of here? Worst case scenario he would have to rearrange all the cars so he could get to the large door at the end of the barn. But at closer inspection, Steve noticed that the front side of the barn wasn’t a solid wall but several garage doors next to each other. He quickly found the mechanism to open the door. He went back to the kitchen to get some more water for on the way and then he maneuvered the Oldsmobile out of the barn.

While driving he tried to keep his mind blank and focus on the task at hand. Retrieve Cole’s body, collect the remaining weapons and ammo, and then back to the other cabin. After that, the call to Joe’s lawyer. Maybe Cath will call him back. He couldn’t wait at the phone and do nothing. Hopefully, he wouldn’t miss her call, but he was sure she would try until she reached him. Since neither of the old classic cars had GPS it took Steve a while to find the route to his mentor's cabin. It was still dark when he arrived back at Joe’s ranch. Luckily, he had a pair of night-vision goggles with him. With that and the star-bright sky, he would find his way around Joe’s cabin. The first thing he did was to make sure that the place was safe. One could never know if Hassan didn’t have a backup team on hand that would step in when there was no update on the mission. But the property was clear. He went over to the place where they had left Cole and got to work.

When he had secured Cole’s body on the backseat, he tried his best to find as many weapons and ammo as he could in the dark. Just because no one was here now didn’t mean that Hassan wouldn’t send more men if they couldn’t get in contact with their fellow assassins. So, it was best that he wouldn’t leave something that they could use against him. Through his NVGs the area around the cabin didn’t look much different than some war zones he had been in. He sighed. War had come to him this time and god was he tired of losing former team members and friends. He needed to end this feud once and for all. And then what? He could hear a voice in his head asking him. That voice sounded very much like Danny. Maybe it was time for him to quit the Navy for good. Give up that part of his life. He guessed a certain blond Detective would really like that. It had never actually come up in conversation, but he could see that thought in his partner’s eyes every time he had left for his reserve training. Danny told him once that he knew it was training, totally safe but that this fact didn’t make him miss Steve less during the annual two-week training drills. It was especially hard for the blond if the drill fell on weekends Grace was with Rachel. Steve didn’t like the drills if he missed Gracie’s weekend with them. Thanks to the governor and the task force he was cleared from the traditional one weekend a month drill right after switching from active duty to the reserves. When they had learned about Charlie, Steve decided to switch from Selected Reserve to Individual Ready Reserve. He would get paid a little less but there were no more mandatory drills. It took him weeks to get all the paperwork for the transfer together. Finally, he got everything signed, all “i’s” were dotted, and he could hand in his request. It was granted a week after their wedding and Danny was very happy about his belated wedding gift surprise. He was still a little worried though because he knew that the higher-ups could decide to switch Steve back to active duty if they see fit. 

Steve could vividly remember how Danny questioned him how he could still be in the Navy, even if it was with the reserves, after his liver transplant. His beloved husband was a damn good Detective and his “torturous” interrogation made Steve tell him that Joe helped him keep the transplant off his medical records. Of course, neither of them knew how Joe pulled that off. Maybe he was just that good. The SEAL smiled sadly. Now they would never know. Joe took that secret to his grave. He understood that Steve felt vulnerable and weak after the transplant and wasn’t ready to show this weakness to the world by getting medically discharged so he pulled some strings. Steve didn’t even have to ask. His mentor always had his back. Keeping Shelburne’s true identity from him was long forgiven. He owed the man so much. He had saved his life. Brought Catherine into his life, even if she had switched from love interest to a good friend years ago. He helped him getting his boyfriend back from Columbia. Steve might have saved Joe back in Africa but that wasn’t enough. Joe was dead. Now he wouldn’t be able to pay back for all that he had done for him. That wasn’t fair. A big tear stole his way out of Steve’s eyes, down his cheek and finally dropped into the dirt at his feet. Hassan took that from him, took Joe’s happy future away. The SEAL’s anger was back. He would make sure Hassan got his punishment.

Steve put the collected arsenal into a bag and put it in the trunk. A look at his watch told him that when he would reach the other cabin it would still be a little while before he could call the lawyer. He drove back thinking about Danny. He knew his husband would be pissed that he kept him out of it. But it would be best for all of them. Danny would see that eventually. As far as Steve knew they hadn’t killed Mark’s family, but that didn’t mean that Danny and the kids couldn’t become targets as part of Hassan’s evil plan after all. He couldn’t risk losing them due to their connection to him. Maybe he could use the element of surprise against Hassan. Returning to Hawaii was no option for now. He needed to be off the radar. That’s where Cath came in. She could probably provide a secure undercover identity for him. So, he could get to Denmark unnoticed, or wherever it was that pig Thomsen was hiding right now.

He entered the ranch house again and was soon restlessly pacing the living room. His mind was already planning what needed to be done regarding getting hold of Hassan’s lawyer. He was in the kitchen after he decided he could use some coffee to keep him focused when the telephone rang. He picked it up but said nothing at first.

“Steve, it’s me.”

He felt relieved at hearing his friend’s voice.

“Catherine, are you calling from a secure line? Can we speak freely?” He got straight to the point. Now wasn’t the time for pleasantries.

“Yeah. I’m in D.C.. I just came back from a debriefing. What happened?”

The SEAL set down and started to brief Cath. Giving her the information would get him one step closer to taking action.


	7. Living nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny gets Steve's voicemail. How will he react?

Somewhere in San Francisco Danny’s cell had vibrated during the night. After he had sent his last message to Steve, he had turned the sound of his phone off in case his stupid SEAL husband really would call during the night. The ringing shouldn’t wake the Kelly household. The vibrating would be enough. He wouldn’t sleep anyway he was sure of it. But all the worrying took its toll on him and the blond fell into a deep sleep.

Come morning he was shaken awake by his daughter.

“Danno wake up.”

“Mhm… what time is it?” He mumbled sleepily.

“Late enough, that you have to get out of bed right now if you want breakfast before we drive to Stanford. Abby made oatmeal for us. Uncle Chin will be back from driving Sara to school any minute now.”

“Okay… wait for me in the kitchen and try stopping the oatmeal from getting too slimy monkey,” Danny instructed his daughter.

“I’ll do that, but hurry!” She left him alone in his room.

Danny sighed, got out of bed and stretched himself a little. Then he immediately grabbed his cell phone. He had one missed call from an unknown number. He first thought it was someone who wanted to sell him something. When he noticed the timestamp of the call and that the person who called him had left him a voicemail his senses went on alert. Did something happen to Rachel and Charlie or his family on the east coast? He quickly checked for the number. The caller ID was blocked. His heart slowed down a bit. His family wouldn’t call him using a blocked number. Maybe it was a foreign police department with a fresh hint on some of their cold cases. Or Mary wanted to know how their stay at her apartment had been. No, in both cases, they wouldn’t have tried to reach him in the middle of the night and probably wouldn’t have blocked their phone number. Whoever had called their matter was urgent or he wouldn’t have left a message. Danny dialed his voice mail and played the message.

When he heard his husband's rushed voice his heart skipped a beat. What had Steve gotten himself into? He listened to what the SEAL had said. Shook his head and pressed play again. He couldn’t believe what he heard. Surely his husband wouldn’t call him from god knows where, telling him he did god knows what with his SEAL buddies, who according to Steve’s message are all dead now, including Joe White, without letting him know what he was going to do beforehand. He listened to the voicemail one more time to make sure though. Shit, he had heard correctly. What the fuck? 

He tried calling the number back without success. Shit. Was his husband for real? How could he do that? Steve was in danger and all he got was a fucking voicemail? It was an improvement to that stupid letter from almost seven years ago. He would give him that Danny thought, chuckling humorlessly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He would call Junior. The younger SEAL would know what had happened and where Steve was because he told him to look out for his husband.

“What the fuck happened and where the hell is he?” Danny yelled as soon as Junior picked up. The blond didn’t care that it was only five o’clock in the morning in Honolulu. 

“Danny?” Junior sounded irritated and a little scared. It was still early on Hawaii and it felt as if he had just laid down for a quick nap instead of actually having slept for a few hours now.

“Don’t Danny me. I gave you one order. Look out for Steve while I’m gone. Was that really too much to ask?”

“No Sir,” Junior was intimidated by the older man. He had never used this tone on him.

“Okay, then please explain to me why I got a voicemail from my husband, telling me that Greer somehow betrayed his team and they were busted and all dead except for him. Why didn’t I know about that before it happened?”

He listened to Junior giving him a short summary all the while stammering abashed. He obviously felt guilty. Good, Danny thought.

“And he asked us not to worry you. He sounded so sure that they would successfully deal with that before you would come back. That’s why we didn’t call you. And the last time we’ve spoken he told us he would let you know himself.” The younger man ended his explanation.

“And you listened to him why?” Danny wanted to know, yelling even louder than before. He would give his other teammates a piece of his mind as well later but now all his anger was directed at Junior.

“SEAL code of honor, Sir,” Junior’s voice had strengthened a little again.

“Of course, why did I even ask?” Danny was massaging the bridge of his nose. He heard someone knocking on his door. Before he could say anything, the door opened, and Chin came in.

“Everything okay, brah? We heard you yelling.” His friend said sounding concerned.

“Wait a minute Junior.” He put his phone aside.

“Steve left me a voicemail. It’s not good. I’m on the phone with Junior right now to figure out what happened. I’ll tell you everything when I’m done.”

“What? Is he alright?” Chin wanted to know.

“As far as I know he is alive. I really have to finish this conversation.”

“Okay. We’ll wait in the kitchen.” Chin left his room to inform Grace and Abby.

“Junior, I’m back. Listen, Steve called me from a blocked number…”

“Yeah, same here. We are working on finding out from where the call came from, but with Jerry on vacation, following the Elvis trail to Memphis, it’s all going a little bit slower.”

“You listen to me, Junior Reigns. You’ll better find out where the hell my husband is or I swear to god, you’ll think of Hell Week as a children’s birthday party when I’m finished with you!”

“Yes, Sir,” The younger man replied sheepishly.

“Good. Now back to work. Call me as soon as you got something.”

“Will do, Sir,” With that Junior ended the call.

“Fuck!” Danny screamed and took a deep breath again. How was this his life? He was Steve’s husband. He needed… no, he had the right to know when something like that happened. When it happened - not after. Steve didn’t want to worry him Junior had said. As if this voicemail would worry him less. Stupid SEAL of a husband. He had the wish to punch something or rather someone. Preferably looking like McGarrett.

What should he do now? Flying back to Hawaii earlier than planned seemed useless. Steve wasn’t there. According to Junior Steve had flown to California with Adam and vanished with Joe from there. So, a safe bet was that his husband was somewhere on the mainland. If he was even still in the states. And, apparently, his crazy husband didn’t want to be found. 

Again, there was a knock on his door.

“Danno?” He heard his daughter's voice on the other side.

Grace, shit. He was supposed to drive to Stanford with her and visit Berkeley tomorrow. How could he focus on that when he knew his husband was in danger?

“I’m coming monkey. Just give me five more minutes.” 

“Okay.”

Danny quickly gave himself a cat lick and got dressed before he finally entered the kitchen.

“Will Uncle Steve be okay? What happened?” Grace wanted to know. 

“First of all, Uncle Steve is okay. But something bad happened to his old SEAL team. Someone attacked them and sadly they are all dead, including Uncle Steve’s old friend Joe. And now your uncle is going after the bad guys that are responsible. He has to be away for a while. Just like last year, when he helped Uncle Junior save Joe somewhere in Africa.” Danny explained.

So far so good. It was the truth, suitable for his daughter. He wouldn’t tell her that contrary to the last time Steve was acting like a lone avenger and didn’t take the time to talk things through with him. He hadn’t been a big fan of Steve’s decision to follow Junior’s SEAL team to the dark continent to hopefully free Joe. But at least he told him about his plan before he acted on it. He even told him he would have asked him to join them if it was up to him. But he had trouble convincing Junior’s commander to even let him tag along. Danny had kissed him goodbye, entrusting Junior to have Steve’s back. Both came back in one piece. That’s why he had put Junior on Steve watch this time again. But look how that turned out! Okay, maybe he was a little too hard on him. He bet Steve pulled rank and the baby SEAL had given in.

“He will be safe because he still got 5-0 to help him though, right?” Grace asked worriedly.

“I hope so, monkey. You know that in our line of duty there is always a risk.” He told her as honestly as he could.

“Okay. I’ll pack up my stuff.” Grace announced.

“Wait, you what now?” Danny asked slightly confused.

“For our flight back home, so you can help him,” Grace enunciated, assuming that that was what was going to happen. To Danny’s ears, she sounded a bit sad that her college tour was cut short. She seemed to have a conflict of interest. With her worry about Steve, her wish to visit the two remaining colleges and her guilt about still wanting that while Steve was doing something dangerous.

At Grace’s words Danny was getting angry at Steve even more because in fact, his husband obviously didn’t want nor needed his help. But he had to play it cool for his monkey right now. It wouldn’t be fair to her to just skip Stanford and Berkeley to fly home where he couldn’t do much more at the moment than here in San Francisco.

“Grace, our Ohana is already on it. You know me, I’ll worry about him whether I’m here or at home. We can stay until tomorrow.”

“Sure, as if it would be any fun with you worrying all the time,” Grace argued.

“Grace, I’m on compensatory time-off for your visit. Why don’t we drive to Stanford together?” Abby offered.

“You would do that?” Grace beamed at her. Then, looking over to her father and silently asking for his permission.

“If it’s really no trouble to you,” Danny addressed Chin’s girlfriend.

“It is no inconvenience for me at all. Chin can pick up Sara from school later.”

“Yeah, brah. Let the girls make their trip. I’ll keep you company. Just let me call in at work and let them know we have a family emergency.” Chin affirmed.

“Okay, then that’s decided, I guess.” Danny agreed.

“Good, let’s eat breakfast,” Abby concluded and started to fill their bowls with oatmeal.


	8. Waiting anxiously

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has an anxiety attack. Chin is there for him.
> 
> \-------------------------------------S<3D---------------------------------------------------

Danny didn’t know how long he really sat there in Chin’s living room waiting for Junior to call him back. But it felt like days. His friend was kind enough to serve him more coffee. And thankfully he didn’t try to offer platitudes like `Don’t worry. Everything will be alright´. Steve was still his friend and Chin was worried as well. 

“You know, after Steve solved his grandfather’s old case and we decided to sell our shares of the restaurant to Kamekona, I really thought Steve would settle down more” Danny finally broke the silence.

“He married you and switched to the Individual Ready Reserves. What more could he settle down?” Chin questioned him.

“I know he still wants to be a cop. But I was hoping he would be less reckless. Maybe work a little less. Eventually easing into retirement. I saw myself sitting with him on the couch or the lanai and spending our evenings playing real-life Clue with some cold cases we would get from the archives. Not being afraid that someone from our past yet again would try to ruin our lives.”

“Danny, that’s…”

“Wishful thinking. I know. We both have too much baggage. Comes with the job. I can deal with it. He knows that. Still, he decided to keep me in the dark” the blond concluded disappointedly.

“He must have had a reason. I guess it was a time-sensitive matter. Couldn’t waste any, arguing with you” Chin reasoned. 

“I would have ranted sure, but I wouldn’t have stopped him.”

“Obviously, the plan Steve had didn’t work out. You would still be in this situation even if he told you what was going on. Just like the rest of 5-0” Chin tried to console his friend.

“But it wouldn’t have hit me so hard. It’s like Japan all over again, but even worse…”

“Because now you are married, and you love him even more than back then” his friend finished the sentence for him.

Danny sighed. 

“His fatherly friend is dead. He must be devastated. And all I can do is sit here and wait for information about his whereabouts. Why doesn’t he want me with him?”

“Danny, you know him. He deals with grief and emotions differently than other people. He is trained to keep that out if needed.”

“Knowing it doesn’t make me feel better about it. Stupid SEAL” Danny mumbled. Both men fell silent again after that.

It was around noon when Junior finally called back. Danny picked up after the first ring.

“What have you got for me, Junior?” The Detective asked without preamble.

“We were able to trace the phone call back to a landline in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana” Junior informed the blond.

“Okay, then let’s meet there. The nearest airport should be Missoula, right?” He was already up from the couch. He had put the call on speakerphone, so he had his hands free.

“Danny…Sir, the Commander was adamant about us not following him” Junior reminded the blond.

“I don’t care. I won’t leave him alone out there” bellowed Danny.

“We can’t even say for sure that Steve is still there. He said he was on the move” Tani now engaged in the conversation.

“So be it. It’s a start. We’ll find him.” Danny replied stubbornly.

“Listen, man…we all tried to convince your boy to let us help him. But he refused. He thinks his best and safest option, for now, is to stay off the radar. I don’t like it either but the way he explained it made sense.”

“Lou, I just can’t sit here and wait” Danny argued.

“Danny, you don’t know what could await you there. Steve wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger” Chin tried to convince him.

“Listen to Chin, Danny” Grover agreed.

“Great, just great. So, according to you guys, I should just twiddle my thumbs while my husband might bleed to death right this moment.”

“It is hard for us, too. But the Commander knows what he’s doing, and he promised to call and not go after Hassan alone. We need to trust him” Junior declared.

“Think about Grace and Charlie. You just can’t leave them, too.”

Tani’s low blow knocked the fight right out of him. Of course, his kids had to come first. They needed their Danno. He couldn’t just follow Steve blindly and take unnecessary risks. He knew that, but it was hard to suppress that urge. He needed to trust that his husband would call in backup when he had a solid plan with calculated risks. Even with North Korea and Afghanistan, there had been a plan and the risks were worth it because it was Steve’s life on the line. But now there was no Joe White who could organize things or pull some strings that would help Danny get his husband back. Shit, Joe was dead. He didn’t know him as well as Steve did, but he had gotten used to him being there, lingering in the back to save the day if needed. Losing his guardian angel must have hit his SEAL husband hard. And he didn’t let him be there to comfort him. For the first time since they were married Danny really felt something like hatred towards the man he loved so much. All because he damned him to this feeling of utter helpless- and uselessness. Who will have Steve’s back now?

“Danny, you’re still there?” Grover asked after the line was silent for a long moment.

“Yeah… listen…I heard all of you. You’re right. For now, all we can do is wait. I’ll be back tomorrow night. We’ll figure something out then.”

“Okay. That sounds like a plan” Tani replied. It eased her mind that the Detective seemed to have given up on the idea to follow the Commander blindly.

“I hate this” Danny admitted.

“I know buddy. Same here” Grover made certain.

Danny was about to say his goodbyes to his team when another horrifying thought hit his mind.

“Shit, Lou. His meds! Steve needs his immunosuppressants or his body will reject my liver!” He worriedly told his friend. In the background, he heard a phone ringing and Tani’s voice letting Junior and Grover know she would take it.

“Don’t worry about that. I saw him packing. He has his meds with him, and I noticed the pillbox was nearly full” Junior assured him.

“Yeah, he just filled his new prescription before I left for the mainland with Grace,” Danny told the others sounding a tiny bit relieved. 

“See? Steve is looking out for himself. He is a tough cookie. Just don’t think about the worst-case scenario, okay?” Lou tried once more to calm his friend.

“Okay, I try. As soon you hear anything…”

“We call you. I promise” Junior said still feeling a bit guilty.

“Guys, that was Duke. We got a case” Tani informed Lou and Junior.

“Tani, you and Junior go get a look at the crime scene. I will hold down the Fort until Adam is back. His flight should arrive around noon.”

“Danny…” Tani began.

“Go - solve the crime, y’all” the blond encouraged.

“He will be okay” Tani tried to bolster him up.

“We’ll be in contact” Lou assured him. 

“Yeah. Now go to work.”

With a last goodbye, the line went dead. Danny leaned his head against the couch.

“You want some more coffee and maybe a sandwich for lunch?” Chin asked him.

“Not hungry. I could seriously use a drink, though.”

“Sorry, brah. The house rules say no booze until after dinner.”

“Fine. Coffee it is. Any chance you’ll make it Irish?”

Before Chin could answer his cell rang. He took it out of his pocket to see who was calling him.

“It’s the lab. Probably about the DNA samples from our last case. I have to take it.”

“Of course,” Danny said understandingly and got off the couch. “I’ll be in my room.” 

As soon as the detective sad down on his bed he noticed that something wasn’t right. It got harder for him to breathe with every passing second since he ended the call with his team. He could feel his heart racing a mile a minute. His palms were sweaty. He recognized the signs. He was having an anxiety attack. He was about to hyperventilate. He tried to calm himself. Shit, he couldn’t remember what to do. It’s been half a year since the last one. Deep breaths – he was supposed to take deep breaths. After some deep inhaling his breathing seemed to be steady enough so that he could walk into the bathroom. He needed one of those pills. It was all too much for him to fully calm himself down. With a trembling hand, he took the yellow pillbox out of his washbag, thankful that he had packed them. It would take a while before the would fully work. In the meantime, he just needed to steady himself and try to get his breathing under control. 

Danny opened the pillbox and took a pill out. He dry-swallowed the pill. He leaned his head against the bathroom mirror and closed his eyes. His head was spinning.

“Danny? Are you okay? For what are those pills?” Chin asked concerned. 

The blond hadn’t noticed that his friend had entered his room and since the bathroom door was still open Chin had witnessed him taking that pill. The detective groaned miserably. 

“Danny, you know you can talk to me, right?”

The blond turned his face to look at the Hawaiian native and sighed before he handed Chin the pillbox.

“Klonopin” Chin read out loud.

“It’s for my anxiety and before you ask, yes I have a prescription”, Danny explained.

“Anxiety?”

Danny sighed. At least the explanation would distract him. Oddly enough he wasn’t having trouble breathing when he was talking. He set down on the edge of the bathtub.

“I was aware that I might have Generalized Anxiety Disorder for years, but I never did something about it. After we were trapped under the collapsed garage, I finally went to see one of the contracted HPD counselors. Nalu Kahue, maybe you know him.”

“Kahue? No, never heard of him” said Chin.

“Anyway, he confirmed my suspicion. I had most of the symptoms. Excessive worrying. I sometimes felt agitated. The restlessness – it's probably why I talk with my hands and walk up and down when I rant. The other symptoms like insomnia and difficulty concentrating were rather seldom at that point.”

“So, you've been taking those pills for about 4 and a half years now?”

“No, not really. Kahue is not known for easily handing out prescriptions. I went to see him for a while, and we tried cognitive behavioral therapy. I started to feel more positive and I tried to relax more when I was at work. It really helped me to stay relatively calm when those Taliban dudes had kidnapped Steve or when Wo Fat had kidnapped Steve and even when he got shot on that plane. I was able to focus on getting him back. Afterward, I compensated with fussing over him like the queen of motherhans, though. But there is no harm in that. I stopped seeing Kahue shortly after word got out that Steve and I were a couple. He is dead set on the `non-fraternization policy´. Told me the easiest way to lessen my anxiety was to quit 5-0. As if I would worry less when I wouldn't know what Steve is up to while I'm not with him during the day.”

“Yeah, I understand why you stopped seeing the counselor. That guy didn't really seem to get you at all.”

“Exactly. I always say that Steve has control issues, but when it comes to my dear husband – the super SEAL, it is me who is having control issues. I have this deep-rooted instinct to keep him close at all times.”

Chin chuckled at that but then got serious again.

“You still haven't told me how you ended up with those pills, though.”

“It kind of went downhill after the liver transplant. I tried my best to keep the anxiety in check with the CBT, but I had trouble shaking off the worrying. It slightly eased up again after our trip to Vermont where Steve promised me, he would try to take better care of himself. But you know him. His good intentions will only last for a few cases and he is back to do something reckless. Then he told me about the radiation poisoning and I … I just wasn't able to handle it anymore. I started to have sleeping problems more frequently and somedays I could hardly concentrate on the paperwork after a case. Steve, of course, wasn't taking his condition seriously enough for my liking. That's why I hired the stress counselor. Turned out I needed her more than Steve. She recommended me to one of her colleagues, Neah Hekekia, who works with friends and families of cancer patients. I told her about my history with GAD and how I dealt with it in the past, but that CBT wasn't really working sufficiently anymore. Neah really listened to me. Said she kind of got where Kahue was coming from, but that she also understands why his advice might not help me. She thought I should give Acceptance and commitment therapy a try. Nevertheless, she deemed my current situation severe enough to prescribe me Klonopin. She instructed me to only take it when my anxiety gets so worse that I have the feeling that the world is falling down on me. I went to the drugstore and got the prescription filled. Sadly, because of our workload, the preparations for the restaurant and the fact that I got shot while I was recovering from getting poisoned and had to recover from that as well, I barely had time to go see Neah and work on that ACT.”

“Danny, you know that those pills can lead to addiction, right?” Chin asked concerned. He sat next to the blond on the edge of the bathtub.

“Yeah, Neah told me about that. You don’t have to worry. I wasn’t popping them as if they were candy. I can count on one hand how many of those pills I’ve taken since I filled the prescription. Most of the time I felt fine. Steve was so sweet and caring during my recovery. He even was on his best behavior at work. Still slightly crazy, but not reckless. But it was tough for me while he was in Africa to rescue Joe. And now this happened, and Steve is MIA. I’m barely keeping it together, man. I felt like was going to have an anxiety attack after I hang up with the team.”

“Does Steve know?”

“What? That I saw a counselor or that I sometimes take pills to keep my anxiety in check?”

“Both.”

“No. No one knows.” Danny looked at Chin.

“You’re not ashamed of it, are you? Because there is no reason…”

“No… it’s just … Steve’s plate is already so full. I don’t want him to worry about me as well. He needs me to take care of him because he won’t do it for himself. And a part of me is not sure if he would even take it seriously. And what should have I said to him anyway? Don’t go to Africa to rescue your friend because I can barely hold it together when you are not with me and there is the possibility that we are not even able to call each other for days? I don’t want to change him, not really. I fell in love with him the way he is. I just want the bad things to stop happening to him.”

Chin was pleased that Danny was taking care of himself regarding his anxiety. He kind of understood why the blond hadn’t told the SEAL about it, even if he thought Steve needed to know about it. Kono and Chin had a joke going on that Steve and Danny would protect each other to death someday. But he wasn’t here to judge his friend and former coworker. That man needed all the support he could get. So, the Hawaiian native put his arm around the blond detective and slightly squeezed his shoulder.

“It must be hard to keep that to yourself the whole time. I’m glad you told me, brah. I’m here for you.”

“Thank you. Do you mind if I just lay down for a while?”

“Oh, I have an idea. After what happened with Sarah, I took her to see a counselor. You know the one who helped Grace after your ex-partner kidnapped her.”

“Dr. Monahan. She is the best on Oahu.”

“That she is. She suggested we get Sarah an aquarium because studies have found that aquarium-watching helps reduce stress and anxiety, while it increases feelings of relaxation, and decreases heart rate and muscle tension. So, we got her a small tank and some goldfish. It helped and when we moved here, we got her a bigger one. She is very good at taking care of them.”

“You want me to watch fish”, Danny said skeptically.

“Give it a try. If you lay down on Sarah’s bed you have the perfect view.”

So, Danny gave it a try and to his own surprise, he fell asleep after a few minutes. Chin called it a win when he woke him up for dinner hours later and Grace and Abby had returned from their campus tour. But the blond couldn’t say if it was the aquarium or the pill’s effect. All he knew was that he felt better. His worry subdued in the background of his mind. Totally capable to be the dad Grace needed and no longer an anxious mess.


	9. At the same time, I wanna hug you I wanna wrap my hands around your neck

At dinner Grace and Abby told the others about their trip to Stanford. While his monkey liked the campus and the atmosphere, she felt that the university's academic focus was a bit too techy for her liking. Mentally Danny checked Stanford off the list of possible colleges for his daughter. 

After dinner Abby spend some time with Sarah while Chin took care of the dishes. That allowed Grace to focus on her dad and how he was doing. While he seemed to follow her talking about Stanford and had thrown in a word here and there, his mind was clearly elsewhere. She loved her Uncle Steve but sometimes she really wanted to kick him for worrying her Danno. She knew her dad could handle his husband's regular risky stunts at work because he was right next to him every day. It was the looming consequences of the radiation poisoning and Steve's extracurricular SEAL adventures that pushed Danny towards his breaking point because her Danno had no control over that.

They were sitting in the living room and her dad was looking at the switched of tv with blank eyes, clearly deep in thought.

"Danno?"

"Yes, monkey?"

She smiled, relieved that her voice was enough to pull him out of it.

"I know that you are worried about Uncle Steve. Is there something I can do for you? Maybe we can check if there is an earlier flight tomorrow. It might be soothing being home surrounded by his stuff."

A set of sad, yet proud blue eyes were zooming in on her.

"Well look at that. My monkey all grown up, taking care of her old man! But don't you worry about me, Grace. This college tour is important to you. So, we go to Berkeley and then we fly home. Just like we planned. If the team has any news, they'll call me. All I need from you is a nice, long hug. Can you give that to me?"

As soon as he asked for it Grace was wrapping her arms around her Danno.

"I love you, Gracie."

"Love you too, Danno."

When Danny parked his car in front of his house the next evening, he was totally exhausted. 

After a nice breakfast with the Kelly family that he was barely able to enjoy, Grace and he said their thanks and goodbyes. Danny promised to keep Chin posted on the Steve situation. Then it was off to Berkeley. He tried his best to focus on what the tour guide told them and to show some enthusiasm. Fake it till you make. All for his monkey. Added to his ongoing worry, it cost him a lot of energy. The campus tour at Berkeley was a success, though. The architecture was impressive. The academic spectrum was wide. Grace liked it and the blond could already see himself getting called by the local authorities because his daughter was arrested for some kind of political activism. Trying to do something good for the world.

The flight back home was a nightmare. The man next to him reeked like a mixture of decay and an ashtray in a brewery. The very active brat behind him was happily kicking against his seat and his mother wasn't able to properly stop him from doing it. The food was crap as usual and the cherry on top was the newborn a few roves in front of him that screamed his lungs out. The poor little thing probably had problems with the pressure on its ears. Two times Danny had to take some Advil to keep his major headache at bay. Grace, of course, slept through all that. She fell asleep soon after the start while listening to some podcast. It had always been easy flying with his daughter.

After the landing, he drove Grace over to Rachel's. His monkey would spend the rest of her winter-break with her mother and he would get Charlie for the weekend. The detective hoped this could be a quick drop off, but his ex-wife figured that something wasn't right with him and wouldn't take no for an answer. So, while Grace was already in the bathroom taking a shower, he had to give her mother a rundown on what happened to Steve. She was very sympathetic and offered to tell Charlie for him when he was back from his friend's birthday party in about half an hour. The blond declined. He would tell his son himself when he picked him up on Friday. Hope against hope Steve maybe would be back by then. 

Rachel had asked him to stay for dinner. She was about to order some Chinese from Grace's favorite take-out place. Danny wasn't hungry and called a raincheck on the invite. They said their goodbyes. Twenty minutes later (stupid rush-hour) he was finally home. He checked his phone. No update on his idiot SEAL of a husband. The detective just wanted to take some more Advil, take a much-needed shower, and go to sleep.

The zombie-like creature called Danny wandered through his house and straight to the bedroom. He peeled off his clothes and threw them into the hamper. After a quick shower that would even satisfy Steve's standards, he pulled on fresh underwear and his comfiest sleep pants. He threw back the comforter and slid under the covers. As soon as he lay down, he was hit with the faint smell of his husband. He closed his eyes and tried to keep his tears at bay. How could this be his life? If he hadn't fallen in love with that Neanderthal animal, he wouldn't fell this lost right now.

It was so unfair. His husband should be with him right now. He should have welcomed him home. Help him relax after the flight. But instead, Steve's mentor was dead, and he was god knows where. Anywhere but next to the blond who wanted nothing more right now than to hug Steve tight and comfort him after the loss of his fatherly friend. 

The SEAL had practically abandoned him. Why was Steve doing this to him? His sadness diminished and his anger flared up. He balled his hand into a fist and hid the taller man's pillow as hard as he could. He loved his husband so much, but he hated that he made him feel this helpless. He hit Steve's pillow again and again until no more strength was left in him. The blond pulled the SEAL's pillow close to his chest and wrapped his arms around it. He was back to plainly missing the dark-haired man. The only person who ever drove him this crazy. His other half. He wouldn't go so far to use the word `better´. Snuggling with his husband's pillow Danny fell into a dreamless sleep.

His mood swings followed him to work the next day. When he woke up, he felt lonely and sad. The call he got from the Governor that commanded him to join her for a mandatory meeting immediately did nothing to lighten his mood. Driving to work was a bitch. He should be happy that he could drive his car for once but the reason why he was able to do it made him angry again. The anger was still with him when he went into the meeting with the Governor. She didn't even think about putting a hold on her task force. Seven years ago, it had worked with three people while Steve was searching for Shelburne. So, it would damn well work with 5. 

He didn't feel like talking or socializing. Thankfully they didn't have a case at the moment. So, after a short briefing with the team about the Governor's order to continue their good work he decided it was best to hide in his office. There he continued his emotional roller coaster with worry and heartache. Steve must be shattered because of Joe's death. Why didn't he at least return to Hawaii and him for comfort and some grieving and healing before he starts his vendetta against Hassan?

His team tried to lure him out and tried to talk to him. Junior was first. He apologized for not taking better care of the Commander and not being able to convince him to take him with him. He also said that he knew Steve would act smart and that he felt optimistic that they would hear from him soon. Danny assured him that he did what he could and that everything was water under the bridge. No, he didn't want to grab a beer later, but he would come over some time to visit Eddie.

Tani was next. She was concerned when she asked him how he was doing. The look he gave her made her apologize for asking such a stupid question. She offered to be there for him when he wanted to talk and finally left his office. Danny knew she meant well and felt a little regret for dismissing her so roughly.

Grover and Adam came in together. They actually had something case related to say even if it wasn't that useful. According to Kono's ex, there were no new leads on Greer, but Grover had received the report from the Montana authorities who had send some state troopers to Joe's property while Danny was still waiting for his flight back to Hawaii. Lou handed him the file. He scanned it. No trace of Steve of course. In fact, all they had found were some blood and hints that there had been a big shoot out. Parts of the perimeter looked like a war zone. However, there were no bodies nor weapons and the ballistic evaluation of the few bullets and cartridges they found would take a while. The chances that the results would help them find Steve, Thomsen, or Hassan were slim though. The blond thanked both men. Adam nodded and left the room. But Grover stayed. 

"I know the others offered to keep you company already and I just want to assure you that there is always a free seat for you at the Grover's dinner table if you are in the mood for good food."

"This whole situation is driving me insane. My husband is on some kind of rampage in god knows where instead of being rather safely here with me. I am no step closer to getting a hold on him. He just cut me off, left me behind with a stupid voicemail. So, I appreciate you guys for trying to distract me from letting my mind freak out with worry. But no amount of company can make the elephant in the room disappear."

"Danny, you need to try and stay calm. Don't let your `worst-case scenario´ -brain win. You should trust your boy. Steve knows what he is doing. He will be alright. He is too afraid you will kill him if he dies."

"Damn sure I will."

The determination in Danny's voice made Grover smile. The couple's relationship was complicated and sometimes messy but so full of love and devotion. Ever since Samantha had told him what `shipping´ was the detective and the commander had become his secret OTP and he was rooting for them.

"Listen Danny. It might take a while, but he will reach out to us and eventually come back home. He always does" Lou tried to console the blond. 

After Grover has left his office Danny thought about Lou's last words. The detective's eyes fell on the silver picture frame next to the colorful ones which held pictures of Charlie and Grace. Steve had given him the silver frame for their first Valentine's Day as a couple. He made sure to let him know that Grace was a big help. Because the photo in the frame was a shot, she had taken for her photo class at school. It was a beautiful black and white picture of Steve and him. It was taken on the lanai a few days after the SEAL had been discharged from the hospital after his last encounter with Wo Fat. Steve was looking towards the ocean. His features totally relaxed. The blond was next to him. He had his nose buried in his boyfriend's hair and was about to apply a kiss to his head. His monkey would make a great photographer. Danny loved the picture. It's how he wanted to always remember the two of them – happy, safe, and relaxed. Enjoying each other's company.

But Steve didn't just give him a simple picture frame. The frame was engraved. Fine lined letters formed the sentence

_`It's to you I'll always return´_

Danny sighed. He remembered how he had hugged Steve and told him to better keep that promise. For their first anniversary, the blonde man had the back of his husband's watch engraved with three short words.

_`You better do´_

The SEAL had assured him that he always kept his promises. Steve lead him to the upper lanai where he had a nice picnic prepared for them. After they had shared bits and pieces of the food in between kisses the taller man had taken his hand and properly proposed to him. Danny was literally speechless. His boyfriend had just brought up getting married a few days ago and he had let him down gently. On that evening Danny had said no again. But the SEAL didn't seem that upset because while the blond didn't want to rush into marriage, he was ready now to take the next step. He would love for Steve to move in with him. McGarrett had grinned like a Cheshire cat. He told Danny that it was enough for now but that he would wear him down eventually. He sounded so optimistic and determined that the detective fell in love with him even more. That night they'd made sweet love on that Balinese swing bed thingy Steve had let one of Kamekona's friends install on the upstairs' lanai. 

"You better do" Danny mumbled before he tried to get some more paperwork done.

The next days without Steve were pure hell. Danny still felt like being Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He was seriously considering to go see his shrink so he could get some mood stabilizers or even better horse tranquilizer. If he was properly sedated, he wouldn't feel this miserable. His colleagues treated him like a hurt animal. And he actually felt like that somehow. Normally they were six people in the field. Now without Steve, he was often the odd man out. At least work kept him occupied enough not to think about his missing SEAL 24/7. Now it was only 23,5/7.

And of course, he lived for the days he had with his kids. Still, he didn't feel as happy as he normally did when he had them. Charlie took it quite well that he wouldn't be able to see his Uncle Steve for a while. Danny was proud of himself for coming up with a kid-friendly, adventure story regarding Steve's absence. Thank god his son was into all kinds of superheroes and worshiped his Uncle like one. Grace sensed his anguish and he knew she was worried about him. Without his kids and Steve around his house felt empty. And while he still saw his team every day, he felt damn lonely. He tried his best but all in all, he did a poor job at taking care of himself properly. When the kids weren't around, he skipped most meals. He felt slightly depressed and not always found the energy for his daily personal hygiene. It was just like a decade ago. The first few weeks after Rachel and him called it quits and he was feeling miserable in his shitty motel room. Only this time there was no Matty to keep him company and trying to cheer him up. Shit, he missed his brother. But there was also less booze which was probably for the best since he wasn't sure how much of his liver had already grown back.

Being home alone, without Steve was like torture. Especially the nights in the now too big bed. He was still in a hate/love relationship with his husband's pillow. When he wasn't trying to kill it as Steve's substitute, he was clutching it to his chest in agony trying his best not to cry his heart out. He missed the taller man so much and was angry at him for not being home with him and leaving him like that at the same time.

When he wasn't at work or with his children, he tried to figure out where Steve was. The blond got more and more frustrated with every passing day. He was figuring out how he could find Hassan's lawyer from Denmark. But a terrorist's lawyer probably hadn't had office ours nor an office.

A little over two weeks after Steve went MIA Danny came home after he dropped Charlie and Grace off at Rachel's. He was debating on contacting Interpol because finding Thomsen would most likely take resources he didn't have. Back in the days' Steve would have called Catherine and ask for a favor. But she was gone with the wind, working for the agency. He had no way of contacting her. Hasn't seen her for nearly two years. She had asked Steve for a favor last year though. Maybe Catherine had given his husband some contact information then. He was about to look through Steve's belongings hoping to find a number to call her when his cell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will reunite our boys.


	10. Robo-SEAL - Torture Edition

Danny stepped out of the car after he had arrived at the farmhouse. After Catherine's short call to let him know where exactly to find her and Steve and that he should come alone the blond had booked the next flight to Montana. Of course, he let the rest of the team and his children know where he was headed before he left.

The call had ended so quickly that Danny wasn't even able to ask anything. Therefore, he didn't know what to expect. Catherine was standing at a drinking trough and immediately greeted him when she saw him walking towards her.

"Hey, Danny."

"Hay is, uh, for horses." He tried to joke. She gave him a tiny smile at that.

"Long time no see!"

"Yeah, the last time was when you hijacked our first wedding anniversary and I had to fly to yet another foreign country to help my husband rescue his mother and Wo Fat's father."

Danny remembered the talk he had with Doris when they were safe.

_He told her he knew she'll never be a permanent fixture in Steve's life. That her son has long given up on that. But that he needed something – anything from her, a sign that she cares at all to ease his mind, so he'll be able to go on with his life._

_Before they parted, she pulled him aside and said that she was glad that Steve had found him and seemed to be happy. She would ask Danny to take good care of her son, but she knew she didn't have to. It was what Danny did for years already and would continue doing in the future._

_In the end, she left Steve her diaries and his husband got some kind of closure and peace._

"Yeah, that was fun." Cath brought Danny back to the here and now.

"Sure. And don't think I don't know all about your and Steve's little jungle adventure. Playing with terrorists and old uranium. I was just gone for a few days for a parole hearing of one of my old cases back in Jersey to support the family of the victim and you came to borrow my man. God, I should have known that I can't leave him alone."

"It is good to see you, too." She admitted, amused by his rant.

"Yeah. I just wish the circumstances were different. How is he doing?" Danny wanted to know.

"It's hard to explain, but I know he's far from good. It's best you see it for yourself."

Before Cath could say anything more the cabin door opened and Steve came out, holding a bucket. On alert, he looked from Cath to Danny. He showed no joyousness at seeing the blond, just a tiny bit of surprise – the unwanted kind. His face returned to neutral quickly. That alone was enough to worry the blond even further. To be honest he had been torn between punching or hugging him at first sight since he was on his way to Montana. But one look at him and for the moment all of Danny's pent up anger and hurt at being practically abandoned by Steve was forgotten. He was just happy to have him back.

„There he is, big pain in my ass. The mountain man look suits you." Danny said hoping to lighten the mood. With a few quick steps, he was by his husband's side and took him into his arms. 

„It's been over two weeks. Time to come home. I miss you." He whispered into the SEAL's ear. The hug wasn't at all what he had hoped for. Steve silently hugged him back, but it seemed to Danny that was more out of reflex because for the blond it felt like hugging a stranger. When he let go of Steve, the taller man was focused on Catherine.

„What is he doing here?" He asked her, sounding half annoyed half angry.

„I called him." She answered stating the obvious. That seemed to increase his anger.

„I told you I wanted to keep him out of this. Didn't have I made myself clear enough?"

„Hello? I'm right here. You don't have to speak of me in third person" Danny argued but he was ignored by both.

„Oh, you did. But you need him. The part of your soul you put a wall around was screaming for him. I had to call him. I can't help you get revenge, keep your body alive, and make sure there is enough left of the real you, to return to your family. That is too much of a burden for one person." Catherine declared. 

"Danny, you didn't need to come. I'm fine. Cath is exaggerating."

"Of course, I had to come. That's what family does." Danny assured his husband. If the blond had blinked, he probably would have missed the pained expression on the SEAL's face. Before the detective could say more Rollins spoke up again.

"Okay, sure you're totally fine." Cath said with a sarcastic undertone, "but humor me and take the help that is offered to you."

Steve gave her a stern look but didn't say anything. He walked over to the water pump and emptied the bucket into the grass.

Danny's eyes widened at the red-brownish color of the water. He was next to his husband on instant, scanning him for injuries.

„Would someone please tell me what's going on here? Are you hurt, babe?" He asked concerned.

Hearing the pet name his husband used for him, seemed to soften Steve a little. He let Danny feel him up, leaning into the touch.

„I'm fine Danny. Don't worry. That isn't my blood." He said reassuringly, sounding for the first time like the man Danny had married. Contradicting his words Danny noticed a shimmer of hurt in Steve's eyes. But it didn't seem to be the physical kind.

„Then whose blood is that?" He looked between Steve and Catherine who were sharing a look, silently arguing and deciding what to do. Finally, Steve sighed, filled the bucket with fresh water, and walked back towards the cabin.

„Let's go back inside. It will start to darken soon," Steve announced.

The blond was surprised that Steve, while not overjoyed at seeing him, didn't ask him to leave. His brain started to reevaluate the situation. Danny knew Steve was in emotional pain. It was probably compartmentalized at the moment. According to how Cath described Steve over the phone, he seemed to be a ticking time bomb. Cath was right, his husband needed him if the SEAL would admit it or not. He sighed and followed his husband and Catherine back into the cabin.

What Danny found in there was not exactly what he had expected.

"Who's that?" He asked nodding in the direction of a blond man with a bloody face.

"This is Gregers Thomsen. He's Omar Hassan's lawyer." Cath said.

"Huh. If you say so. I mean, it looks to me like his mother couldn't recognize him."

"It was Greer who gave up the name of the SEALs on the mission that killed Hassan's father in '02. But it was Gregers here who executed Hassan's plan. Isn't that right, Gregers?" Steve said to no one in particular.

"He hired the hitters who murdered the team. Including Joe." Cath explained further.

"I know that much, but thanks for the summary," Danny replied, rolling his eyes.

"You're just in time, Danny. Gregers was, uh, just about to tell us Hassan's location. Isn't that right?" Steve sounded a little like a mad man, but at least he was somehow talking to him.

"Yeah. Doesn't-doesn't seem to me like he's gonna talk." The blond argued.

"That's okay. I'm not done with him yet." Steve announced.

Danny was afraid his husband would say that. He saw that the SEAL drew out a knife. He scrunched up his face. Steve saw that. Danny noticed a flicker of emotion across his husband's face. The Detective couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly. The SEAL then looked at Catherine. They shared a short nonverbal communication. She sighed, led a stunned Danny out, and closed the door behind them.

Danny took a deep breath. Cath had an unhappy, apologetic look on her face. 

"I get it, you're angry. I would have called sooner, but we had barely time to breath" Cath explained.

"Does it matter when you called me? It doesn't look like he wants me here anyway." Danny said defiantly. Away from Steve, he could admit to his real feelings.

"Danny, you're his whole world. He needs you, even if he has a poor way of showing it at the moment. Please don't let what you just witnessed what he was about to do, affect how you see him. Your Steve is still in there."

"I appreciate your concern, Catherine. The thing is, meanwhile, I'm familiar with him enough to know, that Super-SEAL – torture edition in there is only a fragment of him, that escaped one of his compartments and will hopefully only be here temporarily. Do I like seeing him like this? No. Do I wish he could handle it differently? Hell yes. But I'm not afraid of him or angry at him for what he is doing right now. When I married him, I promised to love him unconditionally. I made my peace with him going feral on occasion. I even understand why he is doing it. But what I didn't sign up for, what I'm angry and hurt about is him abandoning me and the kids with a vague voice mail and then going radio silence on me. I had to wait for a call from his ex-girlfriend off all people, to finally get to know where he is. I thought we were past this. He hasn't done something like this in years. Certainly not since we've been together."

"Danny, you know nothing is going on between us."

"Yeah, don't worry. I know that. I'm not jealous. I'm grateful, that you've called me. Nice that at least one person acknowledges my existence."

"Don't be too hard on him."

"Oh, this isn't me being hard on him. If I was, it would probably be me inside there torturing Steve."

"We both know you could never hurt him."

"I hate that he is hurting, and I hate that he didn't ask for my help. God, I'm so angry at him. But all that has to wait until this is over." That much was clear to him since the awkward hug and realizing where the bloody water had come from. His husband currently wasn't in the right mindset to talk about anything regarding their relationship. Danny wasn't even sure if he would get a reaction out of Steve if he handed over divorce papers. And fuck, that hurt the blond even more. 

There was a loud scream coming from the other room. Danny scrunched up his face again.

"Maybe you should go home again if this is too much for you," Cath suggested.

"Oh no! I'm staying. I'm not leaving without him." Danny declared. 

Catherine smiled, obviously pleased with his answer.

"So, I guess I should officially welcome you to our team."

"Yeah, thanks. Why don't you bring me up to speed while we wait for Steve to get that scumbag to talk?"

"Yeah, sure. I should probably do that."

There was another scream.

"But let's do it in the kitchen. We both really shouldn't be here for that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hug has always bothered me. So, I came up with my own explanation, and with that had to change Steve's and Danny's behavior a bit. I hope you still like my Danny and Steve.


	11. Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cath tells Danny what happened in the last weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I guess because of the lack of comments for my last chapter you all hated it?  
> On the other hand, I still got Kudos. It couldn't be all that bad...  
> Well, here is the next chapter.  
> Hope to hear from you. Let me know how you liked it.
> 
> \----------------------------------------S<3D-------------------------------

Danny followed Cath into the kitchen at the other building of the ranch. She made them some tea. Danny wondered where that came from and she explained that they had stopped for essential groceries on their way to the ranch – with Thomsen in the trunk. When they settled on the couch that had seen better days, Cath started to talk.

"First and for all, I want you to know that he already was Robo-Steve when I called him back after he left me a message. Summing up the situation and asking for my help. I wanted to comfort him, but he didn't let me close enough for me to even try. When we first met up, I gave him my condolences and was about to hug him. But he stepped away from me and practically spit in my face that he didn't need my sympathy just my skills and resources."

"Ouch" Danny replied understandingly. 

"He later apologized for his outburst, though. I guess he blames himself for everything and isn't ready for taking solace in someone yet."

"Yeah, that sounds like him." Danny sighed. He knew the feeling. He himself was like this after his brother died. It was a tough time for both of them and the blond had felt guilty afterward for keeping his emotional turmoil from his husband, knowing that it had hurt him. They had promised each other back then to try not to handle their issues alone and not to push the other away. So far that had worked for them, even if the detective had to admit that this was their first major loss since then. But still – what happened to that agreement? Danny felt overwhelmed. Knowing how his husband was dealing with something like this was one thing, but it didn't help him regarding handling this situation. It still stung that his husband didn't call him and didn't let him in. He didn't like seeing Steve this hurt and being unable to do something against it.

"I also believe that he is taking some kind of strength from all that emotional pain. It is what keeps him going at the moment. So, we probably should be prepared for him to crash when this is dealt with. He will need you then."

"To be honest I feel really useless at the moment. It seems that you two are making progress here. That bastard will cave sooner or later. I'm curious what made you call me. I heard what you said to Steve. That it was too much for you to help him get his revenge while also keeping his body and soul intact. Care to elaborate?"

"I was getting there. After all, we came here so that I could bring you up to speed. You want more tea before I continue?" 

Cath offering him tea made Danny feel like she was the host of a nice get together between old friends to catch up. It put him a little bit at ease.

"That would be nice. It is a bit chilly", he answered her gratefully. 

A few minutes later both had another cup of tea and Cath continued to tell Danny about Steve's crusade against Hassan so far.

"After he explained to me what had happened and who was behind it, he mentioned he had to call the lawyer Joe had commissioned to deal with his estate and funeral arrangements before he could go after Thomsen. The lawyer lives in D.C. and since I was there for a debrief anyway, I offered to contact the man. Rabb is a good guy. Very helpful right away. Barely asked any questions. For a former J.A.G.C. member, he really loves his grey zones when it comes to unauthorized missions. I guess that's why Joe chose him."

"Yeah, sounds as if they had gotten along great" Danny commented with a little smile.

"He arranged everything Steve needed in record time. He sent a loyal team of former military staff to clean the scene and to collect Joe's and Cole's bodies. By Monday afternoon Steve was on a plane to D.C. along with his late teammates and there was just the barest hint left that something had happened at the ranch."

"A cleaning crew – no wonder the Montana state troopers couldn't find anything useful when we finally found out about the location and sent them over."

"Steve already did a good job by collecting all the weapons and ammo." 

"Great he had time for that but all I got was a short voicemail" the blond mumbled. He really tried to stash the anger about that away for now, but it seems it would come up again and again. 

"Danny…" Cath sighed. She knew Steve's behavior had hit the detective hard but pondering about it would get him nowhere right now. It was a problem the couple would have to deal with when they were back home in Hawaii. It would add stress on to Steve's already full plate and it certainly would not be easy for him for a while. She didn't want to be part of it. She would gladly help her friend finishing this op, but after that, it would be a relief to hand over that poor broken man back into the arms of the only person who's able to put him back together. There was a time when she hoped that she could be that person for the dark-haired man. Since then she was sure that it would never have worked. It practically was over for them the day Steve met Danny – his soulmate.

"Okay, sorry… please go on." He said sheepishly.

"I picked him up at the airport. After his outburst that I mentioned before, I suggested we should at least call you. He made me promise to not do that and threatened to go on alone if I would. Danny, you have to believe me, I only did what he asked of me because I was afraid he would get himself killed flying solo." 

"It is okay, Cath. I understand." The blond reassured her. With a short hand gesture, he encouraged her to go on.

"We drove into town and shortly met with Joe's lawyer. Rabb promised to take care of everything like Joe had wanted."

"So, since it's been over two weeks since that day, I guess he went to Joe's funeral with you?" Danny could barely hold it together. The thought of Steve going through that not only without him but with his ex-girlfriend instead was tearing him apart. Made him feel unwanted and unimportant, ripped out of his husband's life.

"Joe was cremated. There was no funeral. He wants his ashes to be scattered over Vietnam. There will be a memorial service though. Steve asked if it could wait until he got justice for Joe. Rabb understood. He has to get in contact with all of Joe's ex-wives and his current girlfriend first anyway. He also needs to find an agreement with the Navy about the memorial service. The circumstances under which he died are a bit tricky to deal with as you can imagine. But Rabb will handle it."

"Mhm…mhm…" Danny murmured understandingly. He slowly was able to shake off the hurt his misjudgment had caused him. He looked up from his cup of tea and was met with a sympathetic expression on Cath's face.

"You know, when it's time for the memorial service that he wouldn't want anybody by his side for it but you, don't you?"

Danny raked his fingers through his hair.

"Shit! Why does this have to be so hard? I don't want to feel that insecure and mad at him. If he just had involved me in this right from the start it would be much easier – for both of us." He had a mild hand movement going on while talking. As if to emphasize his words. An early sign that he was about to talk himself into one of his patent rants. When he and Steve had started dating the SEAL once said that he found it incredibly endearing. 

"I know it sounds cliché, but what's done is done. You need to make the best of it now." She tried to calm him down by putting a hand on his shoulder. A full-out Danny rant was the last she needed right now.

The blond man sighed.

"I try my best, but I don't know how. Everything is just so fucked up. He hasn't been that closed off since…"

"His father died, and he got to know you?" Cath finished his sentence for him.

"Exactly! I really wish I would be as good as him at this compartmentalizing."

"I don't know if I would be able to handle this as well as you do if I were in your shoes. Don't wonder about the `what ifs? ´ right now. Just keep focused on what will help Steve getting a hold on Hassan."

"You're right. So, how do you two caught Thomsen?" Danny brought his mind back to the mission his husband was on.

"He is suspected to be involved with a couple of terrorist cells all over the world. Money laundering and the works. But the agency wasn't able to prove anything so far. His office address in Copenhagen was a blank. It's just a cover for his illegal activities. There was no trace that he had been operating from there since October 2018."

"Since we arrested Greer", Danny concluded.

"Steve and I connected the dots as well. So we needed to dig a bit deeper. Through one of my agency contacts, we got a list of all of his known safe houses. He is a person of interest after all. Sadly, there was nothing that would have helped to nail him down to one of them. He uses cash only as well as burner phones."

"So, you had to go old-school and search one location after another. Like in `Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? ´. That's why it took you about two weeks."

"That's right. I tell you - it was no walk in the park. Steve was terrifying. He barely spoke and slept. If I wouldn't have put a sandwich and water bottles in his hand now and then he probably wouldn't have nourished his body at all. We only had 3 more possible locations left when we found Thomsen in a border town in Turkey. He was working on helping some family members of one of his terrorist clients in Syria to get into Western-Europe with fake documents. We saw him leaving the house after we had observed it for about an hour. Steve jumped out of the car to corner him. As soon as he called Thomsen's name to verify that it was indeed the man we were looking for, Thomsen knew he was busted. He took a motorbike and fled towards downtown. Of course, we chased after him in our car. He only got a tiny head start and we were about to catch up to him when we came to a railroad crossing. The lights were on, the gates were down. The passing train was only a few hundred feet away from the crossing. Somehow Thomsen made it work so that he diagonally slipped through the gates."

"No – please don't tell me Steve was that reckless." Danny could imagine to what Cath's story was leading.

"I didn't even have the time to say something to stop him. Steve stepped on the gas without a blink. We burst through the first gate. I could see the scared face of the train operator right before we hit the second gate. The train scraped of our exhaust pipe and taillights."

"Oh my god! I could kill him for that alone. What was he thinking? No- don't answer that. That stunt proved again that his Neanderthal animal brain clearly isn't able to form rational thoughts." He had stood up and was now pacing in front of the ratty couch.

"Believe me, I know how you feel. We caught up to Thomsen. Steve hit the motorbike's back tire and brought Thomsen down. We couldn't put him in the trunk as we had originally planned, thanks to the warped lid we got from our little meet and greet with the train. So, after we had secured him on the backseat, I ripped your stupid husband a new one. Steve kept totally unfazed by me screaming at him. Told me to relax because everything was fine. That was the moment I decided to give you a call as soon as we would be stateside again. I've seen him in mission mode before. Angry and determined. I'm used to him being a little reckless at times. But that stunt was even too much for me. I felt like he was somehow uncaring of his own life. That's why I decided to dodge the bullet and called you against his wish. I thought having you around would remind him that he has something to live for."

"So, what you are saying is that the badass super SEAL has gone rouge and you hope I can pull him out of it" Danny summed up.

"Yes. Don't get me wrong. I'll always have his back if he needs me, but I'm not the light that can guide him home. I'm not his person – you are" Cath exclaimed. 

Oh, how much Danny wished it would be that simple. He set down and sighed again. He put his hands on his knees and worried at the fabric of his jeans.

"And now after you have seen how he reacted to me do you still think that I'll make a difference?" The detective asked her with an uncertain tone in his voice.

"It is worth a shot!"

She sounded so sure. He wished he had her confidence. He just felt helpless and disconnected from Steve. He needed some space and a change of scenery.

"I need some fresh air. Mind if I go outside for a bit?"

"Of course not. Just be aware of the bears."

"There are bears around here?" He sounded mildly rattled.

She grinned.

"I'm just messing with you. It is totally safe outside, even in the dark unless you are afraid of lightning bugs."

"Your humor is as bad as Steve's."

"You're just an easy target. Go stretch your legs."

And that he did. The night was peaceful when you tuned out the screams coming from Steve's little torture chamber. Danny nearly could imagine it being a night on their trip to Vermont Steve surprised him with after the liver transplant.


	12. Tonight I find it hard to be your man

Danny hadn't been outside trying to relax while watching the beautiful starlit sky for long when the SEAL came out to him. For a moment they just stood there in silence. The blond could smell the strong coppery odor of Thomsen's blood on his husband. The detective shivered a little. Not completely sure if it was due to the cool night breeze or because of what Steve had been doing until now. He hadn't lied earlier when he had said that he understood that the SEAL had to do this and that it didn't change how he saw his husband. Still, the concept of torture made him feel uncomfortable. He knew that Steve wasn't a sardonic bastard who got a kick out of hurting people. However, the blond was wondering how well the Navy had really prepared their SEAL's regarding handling the psychological strain that came with having to perform such cruel tasks. 

"You, uh, you done? With that? Because, uh, taking in this fresh mountain air is a little difficult with the screaming and crying." The blond said trying his best to sound nonchalant.

"Hassan's in Vientiane, Laos" Steve announced. He hated that his husband had to witness him torturing Thomsen even if it was only indirectly. It was one of his reasons why he didn't want to involve the blond into this. What he was capable and willing to do… it should have forever been only an abstract concept for the people he loved. Thank god the lawyer had finally spilled the beans and that part of this op was done. He stepped over to the water pump to at least wash away the freshest layers of filth while he waited for Danny's reaction.

The detective had followed the taller man. He was thankful that it was night so he didn't have to see how much blood was on the SEAL's clothes and body by now. Fortunately, this was over. He just needed to know what their next move would be.

"Nice, uh, nice work. So, you just tell somebody at the CIA, and then-then they do what they got to do, and problem solved, right?"

The expression on his husband's face told Danny that that wasn't what Steve had in mind. Of course, he couldn't just pass this over to the higher-up authorities. 

"Oh, what, what-what are you-- you want to go to Laos-- we-- you want me to go to Laos? Is that what that is? That uh, it's 10,000 miles away, and I assume that this guy has, like, a real security team, like a, a good one, right? And-and there's three of us, and I don't even have a passport, so I can't go."

The barest hint of a smile showed up on Steve's face. God, he had missed his ranting husband so much. A part of him still thought it wasn't a good idea to take him along. But his wiser part that was longing for Danny's companionship among other things won.

"Oh, no, we're not flying commercial. And there's gonna be more than three of us." 

A determined Steve had always been a major turn-on for Danny. So, no wonder he followed his husband into the other cabin where he shortly briefed Catherine. 

"Sounds as if it's time to make a few phone calls," Cath said after Steve had shared the news. She went off to get to the satellite phone in the room next door. 

The SEAL was already scanning through his cell, probably to find a number when Danny remembered something that would help them greatly.

"Steve, Harry Langford is in Laos at the moment. We can reach out to him. Maybe he can start to try to locate Hassan until we get there. Give us a head-start."

"What? How do you know that?" Steve asked surprised.

"Well, we stayed more or less in contact over the last couple of months. You know, since we bonded over having teen daughters and hating the stepfather. He is globetrotting for a while know. He sends me pictures of all the places he visits to tease me that while he finally enjoys being retired I still have to work. The last pic he send me about half a week ago. It was from Vientiane. He was at one of those Buddhist temples. Something about finding the way to his inner self."

"Great. We'll give him a call. See if he can get us some more intel on Hassan." 

Steve was half-way through the door to inform Cath when he paused. With a sincere look over his shoulder, he said to Danny, "It's good to have you here, man."

But before the detective could reply something his husband was in the other room. Danny sighed. Steve was glad he was here. It was not much, but it was a start.

While Cath and Steve were making their calls next door, the blond decided he should make himself useful and start up a late dinner. There was not much to work with, so he just heated some canned soup and made them some ham and cheese sandwiches. 

He was about to call them back into the kitchen to eat when he heard that his husband and Rollins were arguing about something. Danny went over to see what that was about.

The room was barely furnished. A wooden side table, an old floor lamp, and a hoary armchair that seemed to belong to the couch in the kitchen. On the scruffy carpet lay two sleeping mats and sleeping bags. Right next to that lay two duffle bags. All in all, it was not exactly cozy. 

"I'm just saying that the agency might have some use for him," Cath said.

"What are you two talking about?" Danny asked her.

"We are discussing what we should do about Thomsen" she answered.

"Oh, he is still alive?" The blond thought Steve would have put the man out of his misery after he got the intel he wanted. After all, that screaming there was probably not much life left in the guy anyway.

"Yeah, barely" the SEAL exclaimed grimly.

"And Steve thinks it would be best to kill him" Catherine continued.

"Why waist medical resources?" reckoned the dark-haired man coldly.

"I, uhm… I'm kind of with Catherine on this one. If the C.I.A. can fix him up maybe they can pick his brain for other information before they let him rot in a cell for eternity."

"Fine! Have it your way. You know where the first aid kit is, Catherine. I need a shower." With that Steve left the room to take care of his personal hygiene. 

"So, I guess the soup has to wait then," Danny said with a sigh.

"Soup?" 

"I thought it would be a nice gesture to make something to eat in case you two were hungry after that breakthrough."

"Has anybody ever told you that you are a catch, Danny Williams?" She smiled at him.

"I vaguely remember my mother saying something like that after Elisa Conti broke up with me in Junior High."

"Well, she missed out on a great guy. Steve is lucky to have you." She gave him a short hug and quick peck on the cheek.

It soothed Danny a little. Things only could get better.

"I'll definitely come back for the soup. But right now, I better let the CIA know we have Thomsen and make sure he stays alive until they can pick him up." With that Cath took the satellite phone and the first aid kit and went over to the other building. 

Left to himself Danny thought about sending Grace a short text. But one look at his cell showed him that that would have to wait. He was in the middle of nowhere. Of course, there was no reception. Maybe Cath would let him use the satellite phone later. Since it looked like he would spend the night here he quickly went outside to get his bag.

Danny was back inside and about to figure out where he could sleep when a rough voice caught his attention.

"Catherine's with Thomsen?" 

Danny turned around and saw Steve standing there. He was naked except for the tattered but clean towel around his waist. He was still unshaved. The blond scanned the rest of his husband's body. He was glad to only found some nearly healed scrapes and bruises. He looked a bit pale now that the blood was washed away. And Danny thought he was a little thinner since he had last seen him. But to the blond, his SEAL was still one of the sexiest human beings on earth. He would love to wrap his arms around him and to kiss away the drops of water that had remained on Steve's shoulders. To follow the SEAL's treasure trail with his tongue and uncover what was hidden under the towel. Sink down to his knees and fellate his husband's glorious cock. Impatiently waiting for his beautiful "O"-face to appear. To just do something to help numb his husband's pain.

"Danny?" The taller man's voice rouse him from his daydream.

"Huh?" 

"Catherine?"

"Oh…yeah…yes. She is patching up the dude." Just now the blond realized that Steve has stepped closer to him. Danny noticed that part of the SEAL's skin was covered in goosebumps. The detective reached out his hand and touched the taller man's upper arm.

"Jeez! You are like a walking ice cube, babe." Danny stated concerned.

"Don't be overdramatic. We don't have hot water. The boiler was shot while…" Steve couldn't finish his sentence. The memory was still too raw to talk about it. He squeezed his eyes shut. 

For a moment Danny saw the door to Steve's emotional realm spring open for the tiniest crack. The blond just needed to get his foot in the door. 

"Steve…" Danny started with as much sympathy in his voice as possible. He soothingly rubbed his husband's arm.

"Don't! ... Just … don't … okay?" Steve's voice wasn't really harsh. He just sounded tired and sad. Still, he delivered the message loud and clear. 

The detective dropped his hand at that. The SEAL walked over to his duffle to grab some clean clothes and went back to the bathroom without another word.

Danny silently cursed himself. Great. Now the door wasn't only shut again, it was secured with a giant padlock only his husband had the key to.

Again left to himself the blond was back to figure out their sleeping arrangements. Cath and Steve had set up their little camp here. Since he hadn't brought any camping gear with him the only option he was left with was the couch. Sitting on it had been okay, so he decided he would give it a try. The detective lay down and crossed his arms behind his head. While he waited for either Cath or Steve to return to keep him company, he was picking his mind trying to find a way to reach out to his husband. Mentioning Harry and with that providing the SEAL with an alley had been his in. Why did Danny have to ruin it all again by trying to comfort his husband when the memory of the shootdown had flashed his mind because of the broken boiler? 

`Because you are a giant care-bear´ a slurry Steve sounded in his head.

Danny smiled remembering the one time the SEAL had called him that.

_It was the second night at the hospital after Steve's final ordeal with Wo Fat. The blonde's protective instinct was still on overdrive. He was fussing over the SEAL. Checking over his IV lines, making sure Steve was still comfortable with his pillow, opening and closing the window, so Steve would get enough fresh air and overall driving the nurses crazy. The doctor was positive that whatever Wo Fat had given Steve was finally out of his system and he had agreed to give the SEAL some much-needed pain meds. The dark-haired man was hooked on the good stuff. Danny had just closed the blinds so that the glaring light from the hall wouldn't disturb Steve's sleep when the taller man had called him over to his bed._

_"Stop the fussing and lay down with me, you giant care-bear."_

_Reluctantly the blond did what his boyfriend had asked of him. Steve had already made room for him. As soon as Danny's head had hit the pillow next to the SEAL's the Commander snuggled up to him and clumsily opened a few buttons. When enough chest hair had been laid bare Steve rubbed his face against it and took a deep breath to properly inhale his boyfriend's alluring scent._

_"Mhm… my Danny-bear" the taller man mumbled satisfied just before he drifted off to sleep._

It must have been the meds talking because Steve had never called him that again. It still was a fond memory and if Danny had it stashed away as blackmail material as well, so what?

Yeah, he was a giant carebear and for now, he had to subdue the urge to comfort his husband because it would just make Steve pull away even more. Or he could drug his husband, take him home and put a stop to this crazy revenge mission. But that would probably not go so well.

"Did you made those?" Again, the SEAL's voice pulled Danny out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"The sandwiches." The taller man pointed towards the plates on the kitchen table. 

Danny noticed that his husband had shaved. The blond was glad. At least his SEAL looked familiar again even if their interaction still seemed foreign to him.

"Oh … yeah. There is soup too, but I think I have to reheat it again if you want some." He was about to get up from the couch.

"I got it," Steve said and went to switch on the stove. Soup really sounded awesome right now. He had to admit that he felt a bit cold after the shower. Danny was so nice to prepare a little snack for them. The least he could do was warm it up again. 

`He doesn't even want me to heat soup for him´ A new wave of hurt washed over Danny.

The next few minutes past in silence. The blond detective watched how Steve brought the soup back up to the perfect temperature and then filled up one of the bowls Danny had found in the lower cabinets. That's when Catherine came back in.

"Thomsen should make it through the night. The CIA will come and collect him tomorrow afternoon. Oh, you shaved. Thank god the beard is gone."

"It wasn't that bad."

"Even worse!"

Steve just rolled his eyes at that.

"So, I guess we can leave for Laos the day after tomorrow. It will give everyone enough time to get here. Oh, and Danny made soup and sandwiches. You want some?"

"Yeah. I'm starving. Just let me clean up first." She put the satellite phone on the table and went to the bathroom.

Danny sighed. Why did it seem so much easier for her to talk to Steve? Was it because of their shared military background – a siblings in arms connection, a secret club he had no access to? Or was he just too close to the taller man? Driven to wrap him in a blanket and comfort him and therefore somehow unable or unwilling to just let him be. He admonished himself to put his own feelings away and to focus on what Steve needed from him. Damn, tonight he found it hard to be Steve's man.


	13. Next stop Laos

The next morning Danny woke up to the faint smell of coffee. He sat up on the couch to find the room empty. Last night after they had eaten Cath had suggested to call it a night and get some rest. They had strenuous days ahead of them. It was a back and forth with Cath to figure out who would sleep where. He had already settled for the couch, but she offered her sleeping met to him so that Steve and he could sleep in the same room. He assured her he was fine with the couch. Cath said it would be better with her on the couch. She had to get up early to check if Thomsen made it through the night anyway. Steve had just rolled his eyes and then simply pushed the couch into the other room. They all would sleep together. There was no kiss or a short `good night´ like they normally shared when they went to bed. But Danny knew that wasn't to be expected. 

The blond got up and followed the beautiful smell of coffee. In the kitchen he found Cath who was dissolving instant coffee for the three of them.

"Instant?" He asked with a skeptical eyebrow raise. 

"It is better than you think" she promised and came over to him to hand him a cup.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Just give it a try."

"Okay, okay!" He cautiously took a sip. Cath was right. It wasn't all that bad and would do for now.

"So, where is Steve?" Danny wanted to know.

"Making sure Thomsen is still alive."

The blond nodded at that.

"Do you mind if I use the satellite phone to give the kids a call?"

"Um… do you mean your kids or Tani and Junior?"

"Ah, I see you picked up on that."

"He told me about them when we had our little jungle adventure as you called it. I figure it wasn't easy for you both to let Chin and Kono go."

"The first few weeks it felt strange heading into the office to only find Lou and Jerry there. We are happy for Chin and we miss him. I am used to having ohana over at the mainland and to watch colleagues come and go. So, it was a bit easier for me, I guess. But for Steve it was harder. Saying goodbye to a person who was a connection to his dad. And Kono? He gets that she has to follow that trail, but I think until Adam came back with signed divorce papers a few months ago Steve was still hoping she would come back someday. He coped with taking in new strays. So we ended up with "the kids". He felt an instant connection to them. They fit right in and we have a great dynamic going on. We're happy. I should have known that it wouldn't stay that way. Why does the universe hate Steve so much that it feels the need to constantly torture him?"

"I don't think the universe is conspiring against him. It's just bad luck."

"Maybe. But he doesn't deserve any of this."

"Fate is not in our hands. We all have to deal with what's given to us."

"I know. But I don't have to like it."

"Instant coffee is all we got. Deal with it" Steve suddenly interrupted them figuring that was what his husband was complaining about. He threw some bloody gauze bandage in the trash.

"Good morning to you, too. I slept quite well. Thanks for asking." Danny finished his coffee, put the cup on the kitchen table, and went to the bathroom. Was it too much to ask for one nice word from his husband?

"What is his problem?" Steve asked Catherine. His tone a mix of annoyance and concern.

"Why don't you go and ask him? You know him better than I do." She replied. These men were giving her a headache.

Steve shrugged, seemingly deeming his husband's antics as to unimportant to deal with right now. Cath rolled her eyes and gave him a cup of coffee.

When Danny was finished in the bathroom (he was happy to find a clean bucket full of still luke-warm water, probably thanks to Cath) and came back to the kitchen Catherine and Steve were talking about possible options to go after Hassan now that they knew where he was.

"We need to find his contact in the city."

"Langford is looking into this" Steve said.

Danny cleared his voice. When he had their attention he pointed to the satellite phone.

"Mind if I call Grace and Charlie now? If I'm lucky I'll catch them before they have to go to school."

Steve's face lit up like a Christmas-tree at the mention of the kids.

"Of course. Take your time. Tell them… tell them I said `hi´."

Danny nodded, took the phone and went outside to make the call. Grace picked up on the second ring. They were just about to leave for school. He could hear his son shouting `Danno´ in the background while his daughter insisted to wait for his turn. It put a smile on his face. The blond kept the conversation light. Gave them Steve's regards. Told them that they had a lead on the bad guy. Promised them to bring Uncle Steve back home as soon as possible and that they would be both in one piece. Grace was calm but concerned while they talked. Nearly an adult herself she was more aware of the dangerous matter his trip to help the SEAL really was. His little boy just found it cool and asked if Uncle Steve would help him with his science project. After he made sure Charlie knew that Uncle Steve would love to help him if they made it back in time, he told his kids that he loved them. They returned the sentiment and Danny wished them a nice day at school.

The rest of the day was packed with more planning and coordinating with Langford. After a late lunch Steve helped Cath securing Thomsen in the car and they were off to hand him over to the CIA. Of course, it was all classified. Therefore, Cath thought it would be best if Danny would stay at the cabin. The blond was okay with that. It was no secret that he was no friend of the agency. 

The next morning, they packed their things and drove to a nearby military airbase. While Danny got their bags out of the trunk, he saw how Steve and Catherine greeted Junior who had already waited for them. Then the three came over to him and Junior greeted him with a fist-bump.

"What up, man?" the younger man asked.

Always the pessimist Danny wasn't impressed. Junior? That was all Steve got? Okay, in Laos they would meet up with Harry Langford, but still.

"This isn't even a starting five. We couldn't enter a basketball tournament with this sorry bunch."

His husband had another ace up his sleeve, though. The SEAL pointed out to a man arriving on a motorcycle.

"Here comes your power forward." Steve picked up on the sport-slang.

That did nothing to lighten up the detective's mood.

"Wade Gutches? Seriously? He's the AARP poster boy."

"Maybe he retired a while back, but that guy's still got game" Cath cautioned Danny while Steve was already welcoming the old guy to their little gang. 

After she and Danny shared their pleasantries with Gutch as well, Steve introduced him to Junior. Danny followed their interaction with a bemused smile. The baby SEAL was star-struck.

"Junior Reigns, I'd like you to meet somebody. This is one of Joe's old friends, Commander Wade Gutches."

"Nice to meet you, Junior."

"Actually, I already know you by reputation, sir."

"Yeah?"

"Junior was in the teams - until recently. He's, uh, he's now a part of Five-O" Steve explained.

"Well, you sure landed on your feet there, son."

"Hey, Gutch, talk to you for a minute?" Danny's husband took Joe's old friend to the side.

"All due respect, it's been a minute for you. I just, uh … You gonna be okay with all this?"

"Guess we'll find out, won't we? Tell you one thing, what we're doing-- going after the bastard that killed Joe, putting him in the ground - that's about the only thing that could've pulled me out of retirement."

Suddenly a female voice caught their attention.

"You people gonna chitchat all day, or do you want to get airborne? Commander, this bird is fueled up and ready to fly."

"Copy that, Lucia. Thank you. We'll be right there" Steve said to her.

"Who is that?" Wade wanted to know.

Danny listened in because he didn't know her as well. 

"That's Frank Bama's daughter. She's a-- she's a real chip off the old block."

"Is that a good thing?" Gutch asked. Steve just shrugged.

`No´ screamed Danny internally. That so wasn't a good thing. How could this day turn worse by the minute? That lunatic had sired a female mini-me. 

"All right, let's go, guys." Steve reined in his meager troop. 

A few minutes later they were in the air. The time flew by. Gutches went on telling a story about Joe, but Danny had his focus on his husband. He didn't seem to really listen to Wade, too. If the blond read Steve's face correctly the man was deep in thought. The detective wondered what was on the SEAL's mind at the moment. He sighed and came to the conclusion that it would be best not to ask Steve. Since his breakthrough with Thomsen his husband had been polite but still standoffish towards him. The blond wasn't quite sure what to make of this. Of course, it was an improvement after the initial slight hostility he was greeted with when he arrived at the ranch. But he felt a bit left out. Not really a part of Steve and Cath's inner circle. If it wasn't for the talk he had with her in the evening he had arrived, he would be jealous. But her revealing that she wasn't close to Steve emotional-wise, eased his mind a bit.

Lucia's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're on our final approach, so get ready to cross them and toss them, cause according to satellite weather, it's gonna be a bumpy landing."

Great. Just what he needed. Danny gave his thumbs up.

Catherine was nearly as good at reading Steve as Danny was. She had also picked up on the fact that the SEAL was musing over something. But in contrast to the blond Rollins had decided to bite the bullet and to straight out ask him. The detective didn't feel bad to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Hey."

"What?" Steve had a little trouble coming back to the here and know. He had been thinking about the time Greer and he had a thing going on. He should have been able to see through her!

"Where'd you just go?" Cath wanted to know.

"I don't know, I'm just, uh I'm just thinking we're doing all this stuff to get this guy, Hassan, and for good reason. But at the end of the day, I get it I-I totally get it. I understand why he did what he did. He's avenging his father's death. I would have done the same thing. But he wouldn't have been able to do that if it wasn't for Greer. Greer's the one who sold out her country, who turned on her people."

"We'll find her." Danny surprised himself with speaking up. Steve was looking at him questioningly. 

"Hassan worked with Greer. He might be able to tell us what rock she's under. But if he can't, then we just keep looking." The blond explained. He needed to make sure that his husband knew he was in this for the long haul. That they were in this together.

"And we keep looking until we find her. Okay, we owe Joe that much." Cath chimed in.

"Yeah." Steve agreed.

"And I'm in this with you until the end" Danny promised and emphasized what he was saying by lightly squeezing his husband's hand. A flicker of hope shined through Steve's eyes. But then the tiny micro-expression of hurt was back. The one the blond previously had noticed when he had checked the taller man's body for injuries the other day. Steve cleared his throat and then gently pulled his hand out of the detective's grasp. While doing that his thumb slightly brushed over the detective's knuckles, but Danny wasn't sure if it was by accident or with purpose. 

"I hope Langford was able to get us more information about Hassan. I should meet him right after landing. What was the address of that bar again?" With that Steve put his focus on Catherine to confirm again where the meeting with the former MI6 agent would take place.

`What the hell? ´ Danny thought. It was one rejection too much. The stashed away anger and hurt feelings were back on instant. Why did Steve treat him like this? Those mixed-signals he got from his husband were driving him slowly insane.


	14. Bringin' on the heartache

After the landing, they organized a van and they drove to the closest motel that charged by the hour. Lucia decided to stay at the airfield to be ready for a quick exit. Steve, always the cheapskate, only booked them one room. The SEAL quickly redressed and asked his merry bunch to wait there until after his meeting with Harry. They should take turns in taking a shower and get some rest while they could.

It was around 6 p.m. and already dark in Laos when Steve entered the slightly shabby bar that was decorated like a tourist trap. But the tropical design reminded him of Hawaii and for a short moment, he wished that it would be his ohana waiting for him inside. He scanned the room and spotted Harry at the bar. 

"A word of warning. The cocktails here are terrible." Harry greeted Steve while he sat down next to him.

"I'll just have a beer. Got any other local tips?" The SEAL asked the blond.

"As a matter of fact, I have. I've secured us a conveniently, um, located safe house, identified Hassan's contact in the city, won $150,000 at craps, and, and I met a lovely local woman called Vatsana." Langford told Steve in a cheery tone.

"You have been busy. What'd you learn about our friend?"

"Pulled a few favors with some friends in the intel-community, and I was able to trace an $8 million wire that Hassan made a week ago to Vientiane's Mandarin Club. It's a, uh, exclusive, members-only establishment. They have a high roller game room. It attracts some big hitters."

"So, what are you thinking, that transfer was, uh, some kind of money-laundering play?"

"That's right, and I was able to make a few friends, and with their help, worked out exactly how Hassan is accessing his cash. For the past few evenings, Hassan's runner, a chap named Dimitri, comes in and makes a large withdrawal of chips from the cashier. About a million at a time. He then spends about an hour at the table, always losing around 100 grand."

"100 grand is ten percent. It's got to be the vig, right? The club's fee for watching the money."

"That was my thinking. And once he has his money, he doesn't hang around. Always a rolling-car pickup, decoy vehicles. A smart operation. Probably run by someone who used to be Agency. We assume he's been doing this every night since the money wire. Tonight could be our last night to track him. I conveniently overheard him tell the dealer last night that he would be at the club again tonight."

"So will we."

Not even half an hour later they were over at the safe house Harry had organized and the team started to set up their equipment. With all the military brains around him, Danny had felt a bit dispensable. He was there but it didn't seem that they were really acknowledging him. That's why he opted out to catch up with Harry.

After another fifteen minutes, Steve got them all together to let them in on the plan he had formed together with Langford.

"All right, well, if Harry's intel is correct, then we know Hassan's runner Dimitri is gonna be at that club tonight at 9:00. What we don't know is how many more shots we're gonna get at tailing him back to wherever Hassan is. Which means we got to make tonight count."

"This Dimitri is a pro. He doesn't carry a phone we can track. Always checking his angles. I tried tailing him yesterday evening, but he lost me." Harry explained.

"Is that because he's very good, or did you lose a step?" Danny was pleased to be able to finally getting back at Harry and all those teasing `happily retired´ pictures he had send him over the last couple of months.

"Hardly. Dimitri has a tight security detail with him. They know how to run interference, throw you off a tail. Even if we run leapfrog surveillance, taking turns to track him, it'll be next to impossible to keep eyes on him." Harry dodged the pun.

"Well, if we can't rely on maintaining visual contact, why don't we just plant a tracker on him or his car?" Junior suggested.

"We can, but his driver never leaves the vehicle, which they change mid-route anyway, plus he wants the car and Dimitri before they head off, so, um, traditional tracking devices are not going to cut it."

"So how are we gonna paint the target?" Wade wanted to know.

"We have to find a way to get this into his drink. This is a radioactive solution. Once ingested, we can track him." Harry introduced his solution.

"Why? Is he gonna glow in the dark?" Danny couldn't believe all the stuff the former spy still had handy.

"In a manner of speaking." Harry smiled at the other blond.

Steve had noticed the little bantering the two blonds had going on ever since they had arrived at the safe house and the rest of the team started to prepare their equipment. The dark-haired man didn't like that at all. Bantering was his and Danny's thing. It didn't sit well with him that he had been unaware that Harry and Danny had kept in contact after their last encounter. He always hated not knowing something about his husband. The SEAL was aware of the distance he kept from Danny. It was what his mission-mode-mind thought was best at the moment. He needed to focus. There was no time to linger over the tiny flash of jealousy that had aroused in him.

"Catherine and I are gonna enter that club at 2000 hours. We're gonna straight to the high roller table." 

Danny wasn't a fan of the idea. He knew she would have his back, but he still would prefer it if he was on Steve's side. Obviously, his husband had other plans and that stung.

"Wait. Hate to be that girl, but, um, I don't have anything to wear." Cath objected. She knew this was the best option, but she wasn't keen on playing a couple with her ex while Steve's husband was around. Rollins had seen the conflicted look on Danny's face when Steve announced that part of the plan.

"I took the liberty of purchasing something suitable earlier today" Harry assured her.

"Oh, and, um, for the purposes of this operation you two are married." The British man added as he pulled two wedding bands out of his pant pockets and handed them to Steve and Catherine. Harry grinned at Danny proud of his little prank.

"Aw isn't that sweet. Mazel tov." Gutches joked.

Danny heard something screaming inside him that sounded like a pained animal. That little detail made his heart hurt so much. His husband married to Cath. While he and Steve had prepared for their wedding he had a nightmare that was quite similar to the situation he found himself in right now. He wanted to shout at Wade to shove that comment up his ass because Danny was the one lawfully married to the SEAL. But he remembered that the old man probably wasn't aware of that and he didn't want to out Steve to Gutch. He swallowed down the bad feeling and looked over to his husband and Catherine. 

While Rollins accepted the ring with a grimace, obviously feeling a bit uncomfortable, Steve just commented Wade's congratulation with a short `Thank you´ and put the ring on his finger. That's when Danny noticed that his husband wasn't wearing his real wedding band. And didn't that hurt the blond detective even more? His mind tried coming up with a reasonable explanation of why Steve wasn't wearing his ring. Did he lose it while city-hopping to find Thomsen? Did he leave it at the beach house before he flew to Montana? But how could Steve left or lose it? He never took it off. They both didn't. He felt as if a clammy hand was constricting his heart. 

Cath noticed Danny's reaction and felt bad for him. She would make sure to talk to him when she got the chance, but right now they had to prepare for the evening. Steve was already a step ahead.

"What's next?" the SEAL asked.

"Before you get cleaned up, I need to, uh, brief you on the finer points of baccarat" Harry exclaimed.

So, while Harry worked with McGarrett and Rollins on their baccarat skills, Wade went to check their arsenal again. Danny and Junior had been assigned to start working on the surveillance so they could have an eye on Steve and Catherine while they were in the casino. There was not much time left until they had to move. So, after half an hour Langford deemed his trainees fit enough to pull it off and sent the SEAL and Cath upstairs to get ready for the evening.

The British man came over to Junior and Danny to help them finish hacking into the needed systems. A few minutes later Harry sent Junior out to get the car ready for Steve and Cath. When it was just the two blondes Langford thought he should apologize for the gag with the rings. Since it seemed to have hit Danny harder than the harmless joke should have.

"Listen, I have obviously taken it a little too far with the wedding bands. So, I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes."

"It's fine", Danny waived of the incident. He hoped he sounded convincing enough. 

Harry doubted that and came up with another idea.

"Hey, why don't you let me finish the hacking and you go see your husband. Maybe give him a little good luck kiss."

"If you really don't need more help…"

"Oh, my dear Daniel. You are good at a lot of things but hacking isn't one of them."

"Hey, just so you know, I could excel in it, but we have Jerry for that. So there is no point." Danny tried to play it cool.

"Of course, dear." Harry could barely hold back a grin.

"Stop it with the `dear´. You sound like my ex-mother in law when she is belittling me" The blond said sounding annoyed.

"Go and make sure Steve will be ready in 5," Langford ordered.

The detective got upstairs and found the door to the room in which the SEAL was changing his clothes for the casino op standing open. So, he shortly knocked on the door frame and went inside.

"You cleaned up nicely, babe." Danny smiled at his husband. Steve was already wearing the suit that Harry had lent him. He didn't react to Danny's words. The blond man sighed and stepped forward to the SEAL who was just about to tie his bow tie.

"Hey, let me help you with that." The smaller man was desperate for some physical contact. Steve had mostly been cold and distant towards him since he came to Montana and did a good job at avoiding him on the flight and since their arrival in Laos.

When the blonde reached for the bow tie, Steve gently pushed his hands away. For a second Danny could swear his husband looked sad before he switched to annoyed and said, "I know how to fix a bow tie. Go see if the others need help preparing for the op."

Steve's rejection was like a slap in the face for Danny. It hurt him right through to his core. He was so shocked that he was lost for words - that was a first for him. 

"Yeah … sure, … I'll make myself useful than" he stammered and left the room.

After he heard the door shut behind the blond, Steve closed his eyes. He tried his hardest to prevent it, but still, a few single tears escaped his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He brushed them away with his hand. He cringed when a teardrop got caught on his fake wedding ring. The SEAL's hand wandered over his chest until he reached the tiny elevation under his shirt caused by his real wedding ring that he had safely secured on the chain along with his dog tags. He only had taken the chain off once since he had added the ring to it and that was to let it dry after his cold shower at the cabin. The dark-haired man wished he could share this burden with Danny. It would be so easy to fall into the arms of the blond man he loved more than life itself and take the comfort that was offered to him. But Steve had messed up. Lost his team. Danny doesn't deserve having to deal with him. All hurt, weak, broken, and overemotional. He had stashed that part of him into the furthest corner of his mind. He could feel it trying to escape ever since his husband had hugged him in Montana. With every passing hour, it got harder to hold it back, but that was what he needed to do to get through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think one more chapter and then we will see Mt. Danno erupt and spewing lava...


	15. Dreams are my reallity

After Junior got the car ready, he reentered the safe house and informed Harry that Gutch took the van and was already on his way to the casino to prepare for his part of the op.

A minute later Danny walked down the stairs. He was in a kind of shock. His mind was still occupied with his husband’s harsh send-off and his body moved on autopilot. But he missed a step. He could thank his good reflexes that he was able to get a grip on the handrail otherwise he would have fallen down the stairs. This way he just stumbled a little. Sadly, while he tried to hold his balance, he put too much weight on his bad knee and scrunched up his face in pain. Great – just what he needed. Physical pain to match his emotional pain. At least it gave him something else to focus on. Slowly he hobbled down the last few steps.

Harry and Junior had seen him stumble and were waiting for him at the foot of the staircase.

“Are you okay, mate?” the blond Brit asked him apprehensively.

“Don’t sweat it. It’s just my bum knee. I’ll walk it off.”

“You’re sure, Danny?” pressed Junior. 

“What’s going on? Danny?” Steve’s concerned voice made the three men look up the stairs. 

“I missed a step, stumbled, and put too much weight on my bad knee. No biggie” Danny brushed him off. He had decided it would be best if he would stop initiating interactions with his husband altogether. He couldn’t handle another rejection, didn’t want to give Steve the chance to belittle his pain like he tended to do.

The SEAL’s expression turned unreadable – as if different emotions were fighting with each other but not one could dominate. It was a Steve-face Danny not yet had a name for. 

“You should prop up your leg. Junior, could you look for some ice?” The taller man asked. All he wanted was to keep his beloved husband safe and sound. If he couldn’t even get that right, how would the evening, go? God, he was just a giant pile of disappointment for everyone around him.

“On it, Commander.” 

“Steve, I don’t think that is necessary. I’m fine. It was just a sudden hit of pain and it is already fading.” What was going on in Steve’s mind? First, he couldn’t get rid of him fast enough, and now he was acting as if he really cared. This hot and cold shit the SEAL was pulling threw Danny for a loop.

“Humor me,” the taller man said and looked at him intently.

Danny, not in the mood to start an argument for once, sighed. He set down on a chair and lifted his leg onto another.

“There is no ice, but I’ve got Danny an instant cool pack from the first aid kit I brought, Sir” Junior announced when he came back from his search.

“Thank you, Junior,” the couple said at the same time.

“You two are adorable” Harry commented gleefully. 

Both men rolled their eyes at that. Junior handed over the cool pack to Steve. The SEAL squeezed it to start the cooling process and gently placed it over his husband’s knee. Their eyes met and they both could still hear Loraine’s voice in their head:

_Note his caring, loving, and gentle touch._

They shared a tiny smile because of the shared fond memory of their first honeymoon trial. Danny had the sudden feeling that if he would reach out to Steve now, he wouldn’t be rejected. Before either man could say or do something Catherine walked into the room and the spell was broken.

“I’m ready if you are. Oh, what happened Danny?” she asked surprised.

“He stumbled and hurt his knee” Steve answered for the blond.

“I can speak for myself, you Neanderthal!”, protested Danny. His heart did a funny thing. Obviously happy that it seemed as if at least their bantering had made a comeback. 

“Since he is still talking back, it can’t be that bad.” Cath pointed out clearly amused.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine and good to go to play my part in the next step of this op” assured the detective.

“Guys, I think it is time to leave” Harry proclaimed.

Steve who was still kneeling next to his husband nodded towards Langford before he tenderly squeezed Danny’s thigh and got up so they could set the plan in motion.

The shorter man hated that his SEAL had to go now. He was already missing his husband’s touch and was afraid that Steve would come back with his emotional shields fully back up after the charade at the casino.

“Okay, Junior, Cath – let’s go,” Steve said and without looking back to Danny he walked out.

Danny got up from the chair and joined Harry at the table when the car with Cath and Steve arrived at the casino.

“Okay. We've hacked into all external street and internal club CCTV. Good luck, everyone. And I have to say, Steve, you look absolutely magnificent in my tux” Harry complimented the dark-haired SEAL.

“He's spoken for, cowboy” Cath said over the intercom. The message loud and clear at least for the New Jersey native. `Steve is yours´. It was obviously an underlying attempt to cheer Danny up. To remind him that he didn’t need to be jealous. 

The blond detective just rolled his eyes and commented Langford’s compliment with a sneered “Kiss-ass”.

Together with the Brit Danny followed how the plan evolved over the com and screen. As a former couple Cath and Steve played their roles quite convincingly. Of course, Steve and he would have pulled off the little scene a bit more natural since they were an actual married couple and had been referred to acting like an old married couple pretty much since they built up 5-0. But the detective understood why the team had decided to put Cath next to Steve. Even in modern times like they were in now a gay couple would have been too conspicuous.

After they had ordered drinks Harry stepped in and got Gutch in motion.

“You're up, Gutches.”

“Copy that” the man answered over the com.

Danny kept focused on what happened in the casino. 

After Steve lost a round Junior in his “borrowed” waiter uniform served them their drinks after he had spiced the glass of their target.

“Target just placed a big bet. Looks like he wants to close this thing out” the younger SEAL informed the others.

“Everyone stay alert. He could be about to make a move” Harry said.

“He hasn't touched his drink” Junior’s voice sounded alarmed. 

“I don't want to state the obvious, but he leaves that drink and we got zero chance of following him.”

Steve wanted to roll his eyes at that. It was typical for Danny to imagine the worst-case scenario already. God, it was so good to have his husband around. Maybe Cath had been right all along with calling the blond. He felt a bit more like himself since the detective had arrived in Montana.

Thanks to Cath’s female charm they got Dimitri to at least take a sip that hopefully would be enough to do the job.

“Nice save, Lieutenant” Langford praised before he let Steve know that Dimitri had cashed in.

The couple left the table in a rush to follow their target. The plan worked and Steve and Cath could track Dimitri back to a nearby skyscraper. 

With a few clicks, Harry brought up the local street CCTV on his laptop so he could inform Steve and Cath that Dimitri headed for the building’s elevator.

“Guy's got quite the fortress, huh?” Danny assessed the lobby by what he could see on the screen.

“See if we can find out what floor he's going to,” Harry said and zoomed in on the elevator tableau. 

“28th floor. We just found Hassan” the Brit shared his new intel.

“Okay. Tell us what you see in there, please” asked Steve. He needed all the info he could get so they could plan the best and safest way to attack.

“We've got loads of cameras, biometric entry system, two armed guards, I could go on. Well, suffice to say, Hassan has done a bang-up job here. This place is gonna be one hell of a nut to crack” Harry said honestly.

Danny knew what that meant – even more planning in what he wouldn’t really get involved in. He was tired of it and couldn’t wait until this was all over. 

_”And then what?”_ asked a voice in his head.

Danny sighed. If he just knew the answer to that. All he knew was that he was done seeking Steve’s attention and offer comfort where it was obviously unwanted. Hell, if he was honest to himself his presence here was pretty pointless. Certainly, Steve would have found another willing ex-SEAL buddy to land him a hand in this fight. So much for Cath’s vehement affirmation that he would make a difference. The detective desperately wished he could turn back the time to prevent everything that happened. At the moment he just felt lost and disconnected from what was happening around him. He wanted _his_ Steve back dammit!

A few minutes later Gutch and Junior returned, already brainstorming ideas for how to proceed from here.

“Lad’s we probably should wait for Steven and Catherine before we take this further” opined Harry. The two other men agreed and got themselves some cold beverages.

Langford had noticed that Danny had set down again and was starring absentmindedly at nothing.

“You alright, mate? Does your knee still hurt?” he asked the other blond.

“Huh? Oh… yeah, I’m okay. Pain has faded. It’s just … I’m tired of this waiting game. I hate not being able to do something while Steve is out there,” Danny tried to answer as honestly as possible.

“Catherine would have his back if something happened. Don’t worry.”

“I know but there is still that little voice in me that tells me that it should be me out there next to him because I’m his back up.”

“Awe, Daniel. Just a few more days and you’ll have your partner all to yourself again. I know how dearly you must miss your argy-bargy ” Harry said smiling knowingly. He was back typing on the laptop.

“The Commander and Catherine should be here any minute now” Junior estimated when he came back into the room with a half-empty water bottle.

“I think I just heard the car outside” Gutches chimed in.

A moment later Cath and Steve came in. 

“Harry, we need construction- or ground plans of that building asap,” McGarrett said without preamble.

“Already on it.”

“Good. Cath and I will change and then we will figure out how to crack that egg.” With that, he followed Rollins who was already a few steps ahead upstairs. Just like Danny had feared. Walls back up and in mission mode again. The SEAL didn’t say anything to the detective. He barely looked in his direction.

A few minutes later Cath and Steve were back downstairs. It wasn’t long before Harry got them the blueprints and the planning began. The blond participated while the gang constructed the modus operandi but just like Danny had anticipated his husband didn’t really seem to perceive his presence. It was so totally different than when they did something like this back home with the 5-0 team. Sure, he wasn’t treated like some unimportant lackey – the input he gave was appreciated and seriously considered. But here he was not second in command and definitely not Steve’s equal. There was no hint that he meant more to his SEAL than additional manpower for this mission. That really stung. 

When all tasks were assigned and only minor details to sort out Danny slipped out of the room. He didn’t really do anything all day, but he still felt worn out and unhappy. There were only a few more hours until sunrise. The blond knew what to do during the op and he was sure that nobody would notice his absence anyway. 

Unknown to the blond Steve had noticed him leaving. During the planning, the Commander was secretly scanning his husband now and then with the corner of his eye. Danny looked tired and a bit stressed. Maybe his knee was still bothering him. He was briefed enough. He should let him get some rest. That’s why he didn’t say anything when he saw the detective slipping out. He would walk the plan through one more time with the others to make sure it was bulletproof and then he would send them to rest.

“Okay, everybody. That sounds like a solid plan. I suggest we all try to get some shut-eye” the Commander suggested a few minutes later. His team happily agreed and swarm out to the rooms in which they had set camp after they had entered the safehouse hours ago.

Steve got upstairs and into the room where Danny and he had stashed their stuff earlier. The blond lay on one of the two twin beds. The right one, the SEAL noticed. Just like at home where Danny always slept on the right side of their bed. If everything would go as planned, they could be laying in their bed together the day after tomorrow. The taller man knew how much he needed that. He was nearly running on empty. He craved the comfort only his husband could give him.

_One more day!_ he said to himself and sighed. He grabbed his toothbrush from his duffel. Before he left for the bathroom to brush his teeth, he lingered next to Danny’s bed. He couldn’t stop himself. He needed to touch him. It was night and dark in the room. He could allow himself this little weakness. Just for a second. He knew showing emotions wasn’t a weakness. Danny taught him that. But that only applied to civilians. SEALs couldn’t afford that during a mission. Steve reached his hand out and tenderly stroked the soft blond hair and shortly brushed his lips against the detective’s forehead. This man was his everything. His husband started to stir, so the SEAL quickly left the room. He didn’t want to wake Danny since it had been a long day and they had an even longer one ahead of them – true to the SEAL’s motto `The only easy day was yesterday´. 

The dark-haired man had just left the room when Danny opened his eyes. He could swear Steve had touched his hair and kissed his forehead. He looked around the room, but nobody was there. _Must have been a dream_ he thought not being really sure about that and rolled over to get some more sleep. 

When Steve returned to the room Danny was already asleep again. He got comfortable in the other twin bet. He was a bit anxious about the mission, but he was trained to sleep when he got the chance. So, with a last look at his sleeping husband, he closed his eyes and fell asleep as well. 

Later that day everybody was buzzy making last preparations. They would depart in a few minutes. Danny made sure his gun was loaded. He was thinking about last night. Steve tenderly stroking his hair before his lips brushed against his forehead for a barely-there kiss. He was still unsure if it was real or just a nice dream. He didn’t even know if Steve had slept in the room because when the blond had woken up the bed net to him was empty and looked unused. The detective sighed and looked over to his husband. He was chatting with Cath – again. Definitely, a dream Danny decided then because the taller man still wasn’t radiating `I need to be near my better half´. Okay, yeah. He might be a bit jealous but not in a romantic way. He wasn’t happy how seamlessly she replaced him as Steve’s partner in the field. A new wave of feeling unwanted hit him.

“All right, boys and girls, this thing's a go.” Gutches' voice pulled Danny out of his dark thoughts. It was go time.

Last night it had been decided that Catherine and he should be the backup while the former SEALs and Harry would go inside to do their thing. He hadn’t protested much because he was used to be his husband’s backup and was actually quite happy to fall into that familiar role again. Right now, he was sitting next to Cath in the van while she was getting control over the building’s security system. Steve Junior and Harry were sitting in the back waiting for their go.

“Okay, hacked the building’s security system. I'm in. Waiting for people to clear. Recording the video loop. All right got it. I'm ready whenever you guys are” Rollins announced.

“All right, Evel Knievel, go ahead” Danny gave Gutch who would be the distraction the go.

“Clever, Williams” the old ex-SEAL retorted and started the engine of his scooter.

Not even a minute later Gutches had secured the lobby and gave Cath the all-clear.

“Sending the video loop into the security system” she let the others know and Danny started the van. It was time for the next part of the op.

Danny stopped the van in the driveway of the building and the boys in the back got out with their guns blazing. Cath and he followed them inside. Junior and Steve got the two security men over to the elevators and ordered them to call the elevator to the 28th floor.

“Good. Hands on the wall. Don't move” Steve ordered after one of the security men had pushed 28.

Cath and Danny would keep the men in check while Steve and the others go up to get Hassan.

“All right, back in a jiff,” Steve said nonchalantly when the elevator bell dinged.

“Jiffy?” Danny repeated slightly annoyed. How typical for his husband. They were on a mission nearly impossible and his SEAL had the guts to act this carefree as if he was just going to the supermarket.

“We got eight minutes, that's all you got. Okay? `Jiffy´” the blond commented the dark-haired man’s easy-going remark to remind him about the seriousness of the situation. He helped Cath to secure Hassan’s men while Steve and the others got into the elevator. So the blond didn’t saw the little smile on his husband's face at his mini-rant.

While they were waiting in the lobby Cath looked at Danny and thought that now was a good time to talk to him about Harry’s little joke with the rings. 

“Danny… I saw your look when Harry gave Steve and me the rings yesterday and I just want…” she began but got interrupted by the blond.

“No need to apologize. I noticed that you looked awkward as well. So, no hard feelings.”

“Thanks, but what I actually wanted to tell you is that Steve is wearing his real wedding ring on the chain with his old dog tags around his neck. I saw him taking it off before he started to `work´ on Thomsen. I guess he wanted to prevent it from getting stained with blood.”

He looked at her astonished. Slowly her words sunk in, and surprisingly, the new information soothed Danny’s heart a little. The ring still meant something to Steve!

His mood darkened again a few minutes later when more of Hassan’s men arrived in the lobby and the tables were turned. Great – now he would die far away from his monkey and Charlie. Stupid Steve and his even stupider plans.

“Guys, we got a problem” Cath let the others know over the intercom.


	16. The end is just the beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the episode didn't give us a good answer regarding why Greer really turned against her country I had to come to my own conclusion.  
> I hope you like this chapter.  
> And as always - I appreciate every comment.
> 
> \----------------------------------------S<3D-----------------------------------------------

When he heard Cath's voice over the intercom all he could think about was Danny. Steve made sure that they had a plan B in case something like this would occur, but he was still worried that something could happen to his husband before the cavalry arrived. He couldn't lose him too. Shit! His yesterday brain thought it would be best and safest for his loved one if he kept him out of the main fight. In retrospect, he should have left Gutches with Cath instead of the detective because it had been relatively easy to neutralize Hassan's men. All the SEAL could do now was to keep his cool while hoping that their backup would get here quickly and that Hassan's crew downstairs wasn't too trigger happy.

"You're gonna tell your men to stand down" Steve demanded with as much intimidating calmness in his voice as he could master.

"And give up the only leverage I have here? I don't think so," Hassan replied cockily.

"Make the call," the SEAL said to Langford.

"One thing I've learned from my time in Vientiane: never leave home without a backup plan", the blond Brit explained and pulled out his phone to call in their back up.

They were held at gunpoint for not even a minute when the local police arrived.

"Oh, this is gonna be interesting", Danny said hoping this wouldn't turn into a shootout between the police and Hassan's men. Luckily, they surrendered realizing they were heavily outnumbered.

"Tell Harry Langford he owes me" the tiny policewoman in charge requested.

"Um, I'm sure he's gonna get right on that. That-that was, that was fantastic, thank you" Danny said and gratefully shook Vatsana's hand.

"All right, guys, we're all good. All the hostiles are taken down" Cath informed the others.

"There goes your leverage" Harry smugly declared their victory.

"You hear that?" Steve pointed out that it was over for Hassan.

"Don't make the same mistake Commander White made when you people killed my father. If you let me live, I promise you'll regret it" Hassan threatened. 

"Is that what you want? Is that what you want for him? Why would you want that for him? So, he can relive the same cycle? All over again?" Steve couldn't believe how stupidly one-sided Hassan's mind worked. The SEAL didn't come to Laos to kill Hassan. He was here to end this once and for all and get to the source of all evil.

"Do it!" Hassan challenged him desperately. 

"No. I want something else out of you. You will tell me where Greer is hiding!" 

After Hassan and his men were in custody Steve and the others regrouped at the safehouse.

"Alright, Hassan told us that Greer is in a little village in the Fujian Province in China. Junior, call Lucia and tell her we are on our way. The rest of you – grab everything. We'll leave in 5" Steve announced. 

All but Harry swarm out to gather their stuff. The Brit wouldn't accompany them, and it was time that Steve showed him his gratitude.

"Listen, Harry. I can't thank you enough. We couldn't have done it without your help and connections."

"There is no need to thank me. After you and Danny helped me save my daughter, I owed that to you. And I have to admit that it was fun. Island hopping and retirement can get really boring after a while."

"You're always welcome at 5-0 if you're in the mood for some action" the SEAL pledged.

"Oh, don't tempt me, Steven. But really, I think that my next visit to Hawaii should be strictly for pleasure. Maybe I could finally meet the lovely Miss Grace and lively little Charlie. You and Danny have such a wonderful family. I hope what we did today will help you find your peace and if I might suggest, take some quality time with your loved ones once you return home. I believe a certain blond would appreciate that."

"I'll definitely consider that" the dark-haired man promised with a sad smile. When Greer was taken care of, he could finally let himself grief. He had seen how the detective had tried to reach out to him since he arrived in Montana and he knew Danny would be there for him. But if that was the quality time his husband was looking forward to? Steve wished he could spare the blond having to deal with the mess he would be once the levee broke.

"Commander, we are ready to leave" Junior announced. He and the others were waiting at the door.

"Take care, Steven" Langford said and gave him a goodbye hug.

"You too, Harry and thanks again." The SEAL clapt him on the back once more before he let him go. In the meantime, Danny had stepped over to them to say goodbye to the Brit as well.

"Thanks for helping us out," the detective said and hold out his hand to Harry.

"Any time. I hope to see you again soon. But for now - farewell, dear Daniel" Langford wittily replied and took Danny's hand to pull him into a short hug.

About fifteen minutes later they arrived at the airfield and took off towards China. Once they were in the air it was back to planning. They would check out the perimeter and surveil Greer's apartment for a while. Find out if she had hired some goons for protection before they would take action.

It was easier than thought. Once they had spotted her, they split. Gutch and Junior followed her. Steve and Danny searched her apartment complex while Cath scanned the surroundings. 

"What will you do with her when you got her?" Danny asked his husband while he rummaged through the lower cabinets in the kitchen for weapons Greer might have stashed away. He was happy that they were alone for once, but he decided to keep the topic of their conversation mission-related. Maybe that way the taller man would finally open up to him a bit.

"I need to know why she did it. I want to see her in the eyes and ask her. Why did she turn against her country and gave up the names of men and women that she served with knowing full well they would die?" Steve answered when he came out of the bathroom emptyhanded. 

"And then what? Will you kill her to revenge Joe's death?" Danny wanted to know. Worried how everything would turn out for his husband.

The SEAL flinched at the mention of his fatherly friend's death.

"Honestly? I don't know Danny. But she will pay for what she did one way or another. By the way, I found nothing in the bedroom nor the bathroom. You?"

"Just a package of ammo next to the butter knives. Caliber 22." The detective sighed. Steve seemed a bit troubled regarding what to do with Greer but obviously wasn't eager to share his emotions. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned Joe.

"So that means she has at least one gun" Steve concluded.

"Yeah, and she either has private security around here or she feels safe enough that she doesn't have the urge to arm herself more heavily" Danny interposed.

"Let's hope it is the latter."

"Are you and Williams done? Greer is on her way back" Gutches informed them over the intercom.

"Yeah. We're leaving as we speak. Let's regroup and gather what we found out."

"Copy that" Wade replied.

They all met at the safehouse that one of Cath's C.I.A. buddies had organized for them.

At the end of the day, they were sure that Greer was hiding on her own. Now they just had to wait for her to leave the apartment again so they could set everything in motion. They would wait for her when she returned.

"So, Gutch I want you on the roof. Junior, Danny you two will secure the entrance and the backdoor when Greer entered the building. We won't give her room to escape. Cath will hide upstairs in Greer's apartment and I will confront her as soon as she is inside" Steve outlined their plan one more time.

Danny felt a jab of disappointment when his husband once again chose Cath over him. The two would corner Greer together to get justice for Joe while he would act as an unnecessary backup. 

When everybody knew what to do tomorrow Steve told them all to relax as much as possible. They had a light dinner together. Some tasty authentic Chinese food from a tiny yet hygienically questionable food stall around the corner. A little while after they were finished Junior and Gutch started exchanging war stories. Steve and Cath chimed in here and there. Danny hadn't much to add to the ongoing conversation and withdraw from the group after a while. 

Everything felt wrong. Normally the detective had no problem holding himself in that kind of conversation. Zealously asking questions. Always eager to learn more about Steve's military past. After all, finding out what operation "Strawberry Field" was all about ranked high up on his bucket list. But tonight, his heart wasn't in it. His enthusiasm was missing. A lot of it had to do with how Steve had acted towards him in such situations in the past and how he was acting now. There was no silent eye contact to make sure the blond felt included. No subtle flirting nor shared smiles. His husband wasn't avoiding him, but he wasn't acting like himself either. The dark-haired man's contributions to the conversation remained subdued. Steve seemed tired. All the stashed away grief apparently took a toll on him. All Danny wanted to do was take the SEAL in his arms and hold him close. To comfort him and to tell him they would make it through this together. However, Steve's stoic posture was driving the detective insane. He needed to distance himself from the taller man or he would break out into a rant of epic proportions. Obviously, that wouldn't do them any good at the moment.

Danny wasn't gone from the table for a few minutes and Steve was already missing his presence. He fathomed his husband was angry at him for putting their lives at risk to avenge Joe. When the blond arrived in Montana the taller man had expected a heated rant from his partner, but he seemed to do his best to avoid one of their trademark arguments. Maybe Danny did it because he understood it wouldn't help the matter at the moment. The SEAL wasn't a fool and knew that the blond would let him have it as soon as this was over. Right now, though he was glad that his husband was by his side. It helped to keep him calm immensely. He just wished he could give in to his urge to take the comfort the detective had tried to offer him. _Soon_ he thought to himself and sighed before he left the table to get some air.

He wasn't outside for long when Catherine joined him.

"Everything all right, sailor?" she asked attentively as she stood beside him.

"I'm fine, just going over the plan again" he tried to placate her.

Rollins rolled her eyes at that and tried again.

"No, I mean how are you holding up with everything that happened."

The SEAL sighed, thinking about how much of the truth to share with her. He had to face reality eventually. He might as well start now with the obvious.

"Joe's death is my fault." Steve's voice was full of pain, guilt, and regret.

"No. Don't do that." She needed him to stop thinking that way.

"You asked, I'm telling you. He took a bullet for me; I couldn't save him." He stood by what he said.

"And had it been the other way around, you would have taken that bullet for him. That's what we do for the people we love. It was Joe's choice, okay? He wouldn't want you feeling responsible," she tried to convince him.

"But the fact is, if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be dead. If I was able to see Greer for the threat that she was, Joe wouldn't be dead, right? But I couldn't see that 'cause I had a blind spot for her. Cath, there's something you need to know. Before you and I started dating, Greer and I…"

"I know" Cath interrupted him.

"You know?" Steve sounded surprised.

"Yeah. We once met at a de-briefing a little while after we started dating. She was warning me not to have high expectations of a relationship with you. That you would never settle down."

"You knew about me and Greer all this time and you never said anything?"

"It wasn't important back then and I didn't believe anything she said about you anyway. It was obvious that she was nothing but jealous and envious because she couldn't have you. She couldn't have been more wrong. Look at what you build with Danny and his kids. You put down roots and are enjoying your life with your family. I'm so happy for you and I know Joe was too. The only thing he would want from you is that you go back to live your best life."

"You make it sound so easy."

"You are not alone, Steve. Your Ohana will be there for you. Especially Danny. You know that he is just waiting for you to come to him."

The dark-haired man nodded silently. He knew. He just wasn't there yet. But there was something he needed to tell her.

"About that… I think I owe you an apology. You made the right call with calling Danny and let them know where we were. So, thank you for that."

"Oh my god. I need to mark that day on my calendar. Steve McGarrett apologizing and admitting someone else was right" she joked and was happy to see a tiny bit of the old Steve returning when he did his best to keep up his smug posture.

"Shut up. I have no problem apologizing and admit that I was wrong. It is not my fault that I'm right most of the time."

She couldn't help laughing at him when she walked back inside.

They were up early the next day. Gutch and Junior just returned from personally checking up on Greer. Though Steve had placed some tiny surveillance cameras in her apartment yesterday and she didn't seem to be suspicious so far, it was always good to make your own assessment of the situation. 

"Everything is quiet. Still no trace of any guards" Junior told the team.

"Good. Since we noticed that she is nearly out of groceries when we checked her apartment yesterday, I think she will leave to go to the local food market before noon" Danny explained.

"Then we should move and take position around her building" Cath suggested. 

"We will do that but remember – we don't want to attract attention" Steve reminded them.

Fifteen minutes later they had surrounded Greer's building and had taken position so they secretly could keep their eyes on it.

They had to wait another half an hour before she left the building and headed downtown.

"Alright. She probably will be gone for an hour or so. Let's wait a few minutes to make sure she hasn't forgotten something and comes back. Then we'll set our plan in motion" Steve exclaimed.

Everything was set up when Greer came back. Danny was at the backdoor already hating this waiting game. 

"She's in," Junior told the others over the intercom.

Not even five minutes had passed when Danny heard a gunshot. He was on alert waiting for an exchange of fire, but there was only silence. That's why he decided to go upstairs to find out what happened. 

When he arrived at her door, he found Steve crouching next to Greer's dead body while Catherine was stashing her gun away. Obviously, it was she who shot the other woman.

"You guys alright?" the blond asked them.

"Yeah. It's over" Catherine said with cold finality in her voice.

Steve didn't react to Danny's question. He seemed a bit overwhelmed and not sure how to go from here.

"Stay with him. I'll tell the others," Rollins requested and moved past the blond.

What a great handover, Danny thought. Her posture screamed: I'm done now you handle him.

The smaller man hunkered down next to his husband.

"Hey, babe. We should leave before a neighbor calls in the local authorities" he calmly suggested. 

"I think she just really wanted to hurt me, Danny. How fucked up is that?" Steve mumbled barely audible. His voice sounded a bit shaken. 

The blond didn't really know what to say to that. All he knew was that he needed to get them out of here. He tenderly placed his hand on the SEAL's shoulder to try to get his attention. It seemed to work. Steve turned his head towards his husband and looked at him in resignation.

"Let's get you home, babe," Danny said in a soothing tone and gently squeezed Steve's shoulder. 

It was time to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay... the chapter has gotten too long. So I had to make a cut. It is easier this way because it gives me a bit more time to edit the next couple of chapters. So I apologize. You have to wait for Danny's rant another week. Don't hate me!


	17. What about us?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is. It is time to face reality.  
> It may be hart for the Steve!stans but Danny has reached his limit.
> 
> \-------------------------------------------S<3D---------------------------------------------

On the flight back to Montana Steve was deep in thought and didn't talk much with anybody. Danny was familiar with this version of the SEAL. It was one of his husband's grieving stages and with the way things had turned out the blond would bet good money that the taller man was in the brooding and guilt-tripping phase. Questioning his every move. Since the detective knew that Steve needed to be handled with care when he was like this, Danny decided to leave him be for now. The SEAL would snap out of it eventually.

After they had landed back in Montana where their journey had begun not even a week ago, Steve thanked Lucia while Catherine and Wade were packing their stuff. Junior was already trying to organize a connecting flight to Hawaii for them. Danny thought it was a good time to give Grace a call. Charlie didn't own a cellphone yet. Rachel and he had decided together that he would get one when he turned 12. Until then he would play Poopy Penguin on his childproof tablet.

"Steve, I'll try to reach the kids," the blond told his husband who was about to say his good-bye to Gutch.

"Sure. Tell them I'm looking forward to seeing them again, will you?" Steve said in a hopeful tone.

"Of course. Oh, and Wade, thanks for your help. Have a safe ride home, man." He shook the older man's hand goodbye.

"Take care, Williams."

"Will do. Okay… I'll be over there" Danny pointed to the hangar a couple of hundred yards away and set himself in motion already pulling his phone out of his pocket.

When Danny was gone Steve walked Gutches over to his motorcycle.

"Hey, Wade. Thanks for everything, man."

"It was fun mostly. My advice to you, though: find yourself a good woman, a boring hobby, and first chance you get, retire."

Steve chuckled at that and decided it was time to come out to the other man. He felt that he owed that to Danny after the whole fake wedding ring thing.

"To be honest, Gutch … I'm already married … to Danny. We've been together for nearly 5 years now."

"Wow, you and Williams, huh? That is a surprise. You could have fooled me. Especially considering how you acted around Cath, playing a married couple while I didn't see you and him talking about anything not op-related."

"Cath and I … that thing with us is long over. It was nothing but a tactical decision to let her play my wife. It didn't mean anything. It was strictly professional. Just like I was with Danny. We don't act all lovey-dovey while we're at work," Steve vindicated even if he knew that it wasn't the whole truth. He had kept his husband at bay, and it had little to do with being professional.

"Okay … I hope your blond feisty little firecracker sees it the same way or someone will be in the dog-house when you two return home" Wade warned him.

"Don't worry. We're fine." The SEAL didn't know who he wanted to convince – Gutch or himself.

"Anyway. I'm glad you told me. Joe would've been proud of you, kid. I know I am."

"Thanks, Gutch."

After he had ended his short call to Grace who he had caught during lunch break and told her that he would be back later in the evening, the detective looked over to Steve who was saying goodbye to Catherine. Wade was already gone. He sighed when he saw the heartfelt hug the SEAL gave Rollins. Even from afar, he could see how different it was from the hug he had shared with Steve when he came to Montana. It was unfair and it just hurt. He had reached the end of the rope regarding his sympathy for his grieving husband. He averted his gaze and started to mentally prepare himself for the 6 ½ hour flight back home.

After landing in Hickam late Friday evening the three men got into Steve's truck. Junior had parked it there when he left for Montana since he didn't own a car. On the plane, Danny had feigned sleeping, and Steve was either convinced that he slept, or he just didn't care to interact with him now that they were finally alone to some extent. Now in the car, the silence was deafening between them on their way home. Thankfully Junior was too tired to approach them. They dropped him off at the beach house, said their goodbyes, and then continued their drive home.

Steve could imagine what was boiling behind Danny's calm demeanor. He dreaded the conversation that they were about to have. Thanks to Danny's presence Steve had started to feel more and more like himself again during the mission over in Laos. But he knew he owned his husband some explanations. They needed to talk so they could move past this. Steve sighed and realized that he had to make the first step. So, when he stopped the truck in front of their house, he started to speak.

"I know that you want to rant since you came to Montana. I get it. You are angry at me for taking all those risks. So please just do it. You giving me the silent treatment is kind of freaking me out right now."

"Now you want to talk, that's great, just great. And no, you don't get it – not at all."

"Danny…" Steve tried to appease his husband. The blond didn't seem to listen.

"After you practically abandoned me for weeks and then ignored me most of the time during your crusade against Joe's killers you finally have the kindness to spent me some time to talk."

"I didn't really abandon you. I left you a voicemail, letting you know what happened and that I had stuff to do."

Danny was massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Don't even start with that joke of a message or I swear to god, I will end you."

"What do you want me to say? I needed to follow the lead while it was still fresh. There was no time for an ongoing phone conference about the op."

"You apparently had time enough to call Catherine."

"That's what this is about? You are jealous of Catherine? Because nothing happened between us, Danny. She was just helping me. Joe was close to her too." Steve couldn't believe that Wade seemed to be right when he said Danny might not be chill about the whole fake couple thing.

"Oh no! This is so not about you and Catherine or you taking risks. This is all about you, letting me stay in the dark about your plans, not calling, not even letting me know if you were still alive. When I got Cath's call, I thought she would tell me you were dead. That's not how it's supposed to be between us. It hasn't been this way since Japan and your stupid letter. The deal was, you tell me what's going on, so I can help you as well as I can!"

Steve sighed, why couldn't Danny understand?

"I didn't tell you and the others where I was because I knew what I was going to do would be dangerous. I wanted to protect you. That's what a good leader does." And what he failed to do with Joe and Cole.

"I'm a cop. I can look out for myself." 

"You're still a civilian, Danny!"

"Oh, cut the crap! I'm far from being a civilian and you know it. I've proven myself in the field more than enough."

"Working a case is still not the same as going after someone like Hassan."

"So, I was not good enough to be considered to be part of your little avenger team, is that what you are saying?" Danny couldn't believe what Steve was saying. The blond had hoped his husband would apologize but instead, he gave him even more reasons to be angry.

"That's not what I meant. I wouldn't have taken you with us to Laos if that was the case."

"Then why were you avoiding me since I came to Montana?" It didn't make sense to Danny.

"I wasn't avoiding you. I just had to block out all possible distractions to focus on the mission at hand."

"I'm not a fucking distraction, I'm your husband, you schmuck. And more importantly, in this case, I'm your partner. We are supposed to have each other's back. All I wanted to do since I've learned about Joe's death was to be there, helping and supporting you. In good times and in bad times, you remember that? But the big bad SEAL doesn't care about his vows. He didn't need his helpless, unimportant civilian husband - what does he know! Let him stay cluelessly stew in his misery, wondering if he'll ever get to see his spouse again. You practically treated me like I'm nothing more to you than paperwork that can be dealt with later. Did you even think about the kids and me when you decided to shut us out of your life for two weeks?" Tears were running down the detective's cheeks.

Steve made a pained expression. Danny's last words hurt because they were so far from the truth. God, he was so bone-deep tired. The op was over. All he wanted was to return to his normal. Go to bed and cuddle up with the blond. Finally letting his husband take care of him. He hadn't realized how much his actions had hurt his husband. The bad thing was he didn't know how to fix this. His reasons for his actions were complicated. He wasn't able to find the right words. So far it seemed that he was just further anguishing Danny. He needed to make this right.

"Of course, I thought about you. I always do. You, Grace, and Charlie – you three are my top priority in everything I do."

"How can I trust your words after what you've done?" Danny looked at him with sadness and exhaustion in his eyes. It killed Steve seeing him like that.

"Danny, let's just go inside and…"

"No, Steven! I can barely look at you right now, that's how angry and hurt I am. I think it would be best for you to stay at your house for a while." The Detective was aware of how hard this would hit his SEAL. He knew the taller man was already hurting and grieving. Danny hadn't planned on sending him away and adding to that hurt. But Steve calling him a distraction and not even utter a word of apology was just too much for the smaller man's own bruised heart, leading it to a breaking point.

Steve felt as if he had lost the ground under his feet. The last time they had spent the night apart because of a fight had been shortly after Danny's return from Columbia. Their whole first year together had been tough. The disaster with Matty and all its consequences nearly tore them apart. Danny was very distant after the funeral and Steve was afraid, he would lose his boyfriend to his guilt and grief. That fear was so great that it made the SEAL open up about it to Dr. Carlin - their assigned therapist. She helped them to better understand each other and that was what brought them closer together again. Of course, nearly getting killed by Wo Fat had played a major role in it too. Then Danny's impulse decision to kill Reyes came back to bite them in the ass. After his initial relief of having Danny back in his arms, Steve had burst out his anger. He had hated that Danny hadn't fought harder to keep the authorities from taking him to Columbia. Felt as if his boyfriend had given up on them. It was ugly. Steve had been so furious that he didn't even give Danny the chance to explain himself. He just left the devastated detective after he had screamed at him. This time they didn't need Dr. Carlin to help them figure it out. Danny came over to him the next morning and they talked it out like adults and came out on top. Their relationship was now stronger than ever. Steve moved in with Danny a few weeks later. And ever since they were living together, they never wanted to be out of each other's sight, even when they fought. They barely fought. At least not about stuff other couples fought about. It was mostly nothing more than their usual bickering. There were only two times they had something that Steve would count as a real fight since they had married. It wasn't out of anger but out of love. First after the liver transplant. With Danny accusing him of not being careful enough with his new condition and him just wanting his husband to stop fussing over him. And later while and after their unfortunate adventure with the dirty bomb and his radiation poisoning. But even then, they hadn't slept separately. Steve had considered sleeping on the couch after the initial argument because nothing was resolved then. Danny would have none of it, though. Explaining that he did not approve about the `not going to bed angry´ rule. It did nothing for his marriage with Rachel and he confessed that it was worse for him to sleep alone in such a situation than sleeping next to him. Steve couldn't argue with that because he actually felt the same. So, to say he was shocked hearing Danny wanting him to leave would be an understatement.

"You don't mean that." Steve didn't want to believe what his husband was saying.

"Yes, I do, Steven. I need time to calm down because I don't want to say things I would later regret."

"Danny…"

"You can come in and pick some of your stuff. I don't know how much you have over at the beach house."

Steve swallowed hard. This must be a nightmare. He was just not able to shake out of it. On autopilot, he heard himself asking, "What about the kids?"

"I'm not a monster, Steven. You are welcome to see them anytime you want. They are at Rachel's right now. But to make myself perfectly clear here, I won't be the person that explains to them why you didn't call them and won't be staying at our home for a while." Danny opened the door, got out of the car, and walked over to the house.

Steve looked after him and went pale. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breath. He thought he was doing the right thing with trying to keep his husband out of it but with that, he had broken Danny's trust and probably his heart as well. He destroyed the best thing that ever happened to him. He was going to be sick.

The blond didn't know if his husband would follow him or not, but he left the door open after he entered the house. He felt as if a part of him died when he told his husband he should stay at the beach house. He knew that the SEAL needed him. A part of him wanted to hug Steve and say he changed his mind. The problem was that he was just to hurt himself now to take care of the taller man. Being together with his husband like he was at the moment wouldn't do them any good. That's why in the end the blond stood by this hard decision. There was still hope though. Maybe Steve would come after him to say sorry and then they would fall into each other's arms and could start to heal together.

Danny got disappointed. The SEAL came into the house a few minutes later while the blond was in the kitchen searching for a beer. He heard Steve going straight to their bedroom. Danny was in the living room when his husband came back out with an overnight bag. It was what the smaller man had called it. Steve had used it whenever he stayed overnight at Danny's house in the early stages of their relationship.

Seeing his husband with that bag made the blond understand that the SEAL wouldn't fight him on making him leave the house. It hurt Danny and made him even angrier.

Steve walked past him, but he stopped before he reached the front door. He sighed and turned around. He couldn't look the man he loved in the eyes at that moment. He failed him. He failed Joe. But he would be damned if he would fail Charlie and Grace. He needed Danny to know that.

"I'll go to see the kids first thing in the morning." 

"Good. I let Rachel know that you'll come over." The blond looked at Steve, but his husband didn't meet his eyes. He waited for the SEAL to say something. After a moment of deafening silence, Danny offered the only farewell he was capable of right now.

"Take care of yourself, Steve."

The taller man gave a short nod. He hesitated for a moment but then he left the house. He would respect Danny's wish. It was the last he could do.

When the door shut behind the SEAL the blond slid down the living room wall with a heartbreaking sob and started to cry. How had this gotten so out of hand?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope you liked the path I chose. Please don't hate me.  
> I offer tissues if needed...


	18. No easy way out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next 3 chapters are from Steve's POV. I will get back to Danny in chapter 21.
> 
> \-----------------------------------------S<3D----------------------------------------------

The SEAL couldn't remember how long he sat in his truck outside of the home he used to share with Danny the last couple of years or how he made it back to the beach house. He was on autopilot. Just like after Joe's death. His mind was numb. His soul in pure agony. He wasn't able to process even more emotions.

There was still light on in the beach house when the zombie-like creature that Steve had become arrived. It took him a while but eventually, he got his body in motion, out of the car, and to his front door. When he opened the door, he was immediately welcomed by Eddie who jumped from his spot on the couch and ran over to his human. He sensed that Steve was in distress and started licking him to cheer him up.

Steve crouched down and started to scratch the dog between his ears. 

"Hi, my good boy. I missed you" the taller man said before he kissed Eddie on the head.

"Commander? Is everything okay? What are you doing here?" Junior asked when he came in from the kitchen. He had heard the door open and shut. His voice was a mix of concern and surprise.

When the older SEAL looked up, he noticed that Junior wasn't alone. Next to him, Tani had appeared. She and Eddie had awaited the younger SEAL to welcome him home when he had opened the door earlier.

"Talk to us, boss," she said, and Steve realized that some time must have passed since Junior's question. He'd rather stay on the floor to pet Eddie then to answer. But he knew Tani and Junior. They would only leave him in peace if he spoke to them. So, he needed to come up with an explanation that would get them of his back. There was just one problem – he could barely get the words together.

"I … Danny … we … I need to crash here for a little while" was what he finally settled on.

"I don't understand. What happened?" Tani wanted to know.

Steve looked at them both with pleading eyes. Junior sighed. He understood that the older man didn't want to talk about it. But he was also scared. He had never seen the other man look so haunted and in despair. Fragile. Like the simplest touch could emotionally break him. The Commander reminded him of the wounded kitten he once found on the street when he was a kid. Whatever happened between Danny and he must have been bad. So much that it shook Steve to his core.

"Sure, it is still your house after all" Reigns assured his mentor and carefully squeezed his shoulder hoping it would give the older man some sort of comfort.

Steve gave him a sad but grateful smile.

"Okay… I'm quite tired, so if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna hit the hay." With that, he was on his way upstairs to his former bedroom, his loyal dog hot on his heels. Tani's and Junior's bewildered eyes followed him as he practically fled up the stairs.

"What the hell happened, Junes? Steve seems totally off" Tani noted and looked at the man with questioning eyes.

"How should I know?" Junior retorted and shrugged.

"Because you were with them the last couple of days, duh!"

"Well, they seemed alright to me when they dropped me off. They were quiet on the way home, but I thought they were just exhausted from the mission."

"Yeah, but there is obviously something wrong with them if Steve is rather sleeping here than home with his husband." Tani pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Danny. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"I'm not sure if we should intervene," the young SEAL said hesitantly and scratched the back of his head. 

"Of course, we should. If Steve is not alright the team is not alright."

Junior was about to reply but Tani hold her hand up to shut him up.

"Just the busy tone," the woman said clearly annoyed and pushed the hang-up button.

"He is probably talking with his kids" Junior opined. Tani was already dialing Danny's number again.

"Tani, it's late and I think we should just let them be for now."

She sighed resignedly.

"Okay. Fine. But first thing tomorrow I'll try to call Danny again and you should try to get Steve to talk."

Junior snorted at Tani's suggestion. The man she was referring to was trained to withstand torture. It was amusing that she still thought they could make Steve talk if he didn't want to. 

"Don't give up before you even tried, Reigns" Tani fussed.

"Fine, I'll give it a shot."

"Thank you!" She pulled Junior into a hug.

"It is so good to have you back home."

The young SEAL smiled and sighed happily. He had thought about her a lot lately and was wondering if a workplace romance would work for them and if it was worth risking the friendship they had now.

After a while, she stepped away.

"Now get some sleep, Junes. We'll see each other tomorrow. You owe me some hours of beating your ass at surfing."

Steve had trouble falling asleep that night, but with Eddie, he had at least one blond next to him and exhaustion won over eventually. He went over to Rachel early the next morning. Junior was still asleep, and the older man left him a note about his whereabouts on the fridge before he left the house. It was a Saturday so the kids should be at home. He bought some baked goods on his way, figuring that they hadn't had breakfast yet. Danny's Ex opened after his first ring.

"Good Morning, Steven." She greeted him.

"Rachel" Steve nodded shortly.

"Danny called me last night and told me what happened with Joe and that you two had a fight. He mentioned you might show up. I want you to know, that I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." He clenched the hand that wasn't holding the paper bag into a fist. He hated condolences. Giving and getting them. It was just another reminder of his failure. 

"Come in. I'll get the kids for you. They'll be happy to see you." She stepped aside so that Steve could enter.

The SEAL went straight to the living room. He had just set down on the couch when Grace and Charlie came in. They both were still in their PJs. It made them look younger and innocent. God, he loved them both so much.

"Uncle Steve!" Charlie screamed happily at seeing his father's husband.

"Hey, buddy! I missed you so much." Steve hugged the little boy.

"I missed you too. Danno told us you were on a secret mission. Did you get the bad guys?" Charlie asked exited.

"I did, but it wasn't easy. That's why I couldn't call or see you guys for a while. But guess what? Your Danno helped. Isn't that cool?"

"Danno is the greatest!" The little boy still had the hero worship going on. 

"That he is." Steve agreed.

Charlie finally had noticed the paper bag on the coffee table. Steve had followed his gaze.

"I brought Malasadas. Why don't you bring them into the kitchen?" It would get him some time to talk to Grace.

"Yummy! Thanks, Uncle Steve."

After the boy had left the living room, Grace walked over to Steve and set next to him on the couch before she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so glad that you are okay and finally back home."

"Me, too, Gracie." He hugged her back.

After she pulled away, she punched him hard on his upper arm. Steve was surprised by how strong she had gotten. It really hurt a little and he flinched.

"That is for not calling us from time to time. Danno was so worried. He was practically climbing up the walls."

"I guess I deserved that and believe me, I'm so sorry for putting you all through that," Steve admitted and apologized.

"Promise to never do that again!" She ordered him.

"I…I promise. Pinky swear." He held up his right pinky. Grace slightly smiled and sealed the deal by linking her pinky with Steve's.

"Good. I am sorry you lost your friend. We are all here for you. Nevertheless, you need to know that it wasn't easy for Danno either. He barely ate and slept. We tried our best to uplift his spirits, but what he really needs is you and I think you could use some TLC as well."

"Listen about that, your Danno is very angry at me at the moment. That's why I'll be staying at the beach house for a while." He felt even worse hearing about how bad Danny felt during his absence.

"Isn't that a little overreacting?" Grace asked. She had only seen the sad part of his father, missing his husband and thought he would be happy having Steve back. Separating was for fighting couples like Danno and her mom back then.

"I … I guess I really hurt his feelings." Steve admitted.

"You hurt my Danno?" Charlie had come back into the room and looked at the SEAL bewildered. 

"No… not like you think, buddy. I hurt his feelings. Do you remember a few months back when that older boy at your school called you a big baby because you still used training wheels?" Steve brought up that example so the young boy would understand better.

"He was a big meanie!" Charlie said nodding. "But Mrs. Reynolds made him apologize. Can't you apologize to Danno?"

Mrs. Reynolds was Charlie's class teacher. Danny and Steve liked her. She was tough but fair and had a no-bullying policy. At the boy's mention of apologizing to his dad, Steve went a little pale. He had been on the defense right away last evening, but did he even apologize to Danny? Shit! God, he was an idiot. He looked a little helpless. Grace noticed that and understood. How do you explain something like that to a seven-year-old? So, she decided to speak up for him.

"Charlie, you know how Danno and Mom make you think about what you did wrong, first?" Grace tried to explain.

"Uncle Steve is in time-out?" Charlie looked at the SEAL with big, surprised eyes.

"Yeah, something like that, buddy." Steve agreed. "I'll be staying over at the beach house with Uncle Junior for a while, but you and your sister can see me whenever you want." 

"But you won't go away again?" Charlie asked hopeful, clinging to Steve's legs.

Steve pulled him into another hug.

"No, buddy. I'm home and I'm not going away again, I promise." While he talked to Charlie, he was also looking at Grace, wanting her to get the message too. She did and joined him and her brother in a group hug.

"You need to fix this, Uncle Steve" Danny's daughter whispered into his ear.

"I will, I promise" the SEAL murmured against her soft hair and placed a kiss on her head while he rubbed Charlie's back.

Rachel came into the living room and cleared her throat.

"Grace, take your brother to the kitchen. Breakfast is ready."

"Can Uncle Steve have breakfast with us?" Charlie asked after Steve had let go of him.

The SEAL locked eyes with Rachel, asking silently for permission. 

"Why don't you let me talk to him and ask him? In the meantime, start your breakfast, please."

At her mother's words, Grace nudged her brother towards the kitchen. Unlike her brother, she understood that her mom wanted to talk to Steve alone. 

When the kids were out of earshot, Rachel folded her arms in front of her chest and looked sternly at the SEAL before she said, "Please be honest with me, Steve. How bad is it? Do I have to prepare the kids for yet another divorce?"

Steve flinched when he heard the last word. It felt as if someone had dumped an ice bucket over his head. What had Danny told her? Did he mess up so bad in his husband's eyes that the blond would consider divorcing him? Shit, what if he couldn't fix this? His hand automatically wandered to his wedding ring that still rested on the chain next to his dog-tags. It felt like a lifeline but how long would he still have that? He suddenly felt unsure about the survival of his marriage. And that was showing in his answer to Rachel.

"Honestly, I don't know, Rachel. I've never seen him this upset with me. He said he needed time to calm down, so that's what I'm giving him. But I'm not sure how it will turn out in the long run." He was afraid he had damaged his marriage beyond repair.

Rachel was surprised. It was the first time she could hear fear in his voice, and he looked really scared and pitiful. She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"You can stay for breakfast and if you want to visit the kids when it is not Danny's time with them, just give me a call. But understand that I don't want to interfere further in your relationship quarrels. I will try to stay neutral but if the shit hits the fan, I will be on Danny's side as he is the father of our children. I hope it won't come to that, though."

"I understand" was all Steve said. 

"Okay. Then let's eat breakfast." Rachel said and led him to the kitchen.

McGarrett had gotten a lovely phone-call from the governor when he had returned from having breakfast with Charlie and Grace. It made him regret picking up. First, of course, she was sorry for his loss, but that were the only kind words she had to spare. She was not happy how he handled the situation and reminded him that she wasn't Denning. Leaving to fight private battles without further notice was unacceptable. And it was the last time she would let him get away with it. If he would pull a stunt like that again she would shut down 5-0 once and for all. By god, she had enough trouble explaining the money-eating taskforce's existence to her secretary of treasury on every meeting. Still, some members of her cabinet insisted the islands needed them. She didn't want to sound callous, but she believed three weeks was enough time to grief the loss of a family friend and to be able to return to work again. She expected all of 5-0 back at HQ on Monday. Generously giving her task-force leader the remaining weekend off to get his head back into the game. 

As if Joe's death was the only thing he had to deal with. He was unsure of how to handle the situation with Danny. He obviously needed to apologize. But how? Should he call him? Was it better to check in with him in person? Or should he wait till Monday to give the blond some space like he had asked him to do? He was missing his partner deeply. Steve sighed. When he entered the beach house he was immediately greeted by Junior.

"Yoh, Steve. Tani will be here in a few minutes. She wants to go surfing and make sure I still got my sea legs. Do you want to join us?" The younger SEAL asked offering company. 

"Thanks for asking, but I'm not in the mood. Go out and enjoy your day with Tani. You deserve some fun."

"You're sure? Because I think some downtime would do you some good as well. Catch some waves. Besides, Tani had missed you and would be happy to spend some time with both of us." Junior tried to lure him in. He wasn't used to Steve like this and was afraid his mentor would fall into a depression. Joe's death hit him hard and whatever happened between him and Danny wasn't helpful with processing his grief. Plus, he thought that his chances to get Steve to talk would be better with Tani around. Two against one should do the trick.

While Steve was over at Rachel's to spend time with the kids Junior had gotten a call from Tani. She had finally been able to reach Danny. The blond had been edgy towards her and very reluctant in answering her questions. In short, all she had gotten out of the detective was that yes, there had been an argument, and in his attempt to de-escalate the situation he had asked Steve to stay at the beach house. When she had probed him for details the New Jersey native had just told her to ask Steve. Only after Tani had mentioned how miserable the older SEAL had appeared did the blond fold, obviously afraid that Steve had gotten the wrong idea about what happened and what it meant for their relationship. So, Danny requested her to let his husband know that it was neither a punishment nor permanent but that the ball was in Steve's court now.

"Yeah, no. I'm not up for company right now. I think I'll rather swim a few miles with Eddie if he is up to it. Clear my head, you know" Steve explained to Junior.

"Okay. Hey, have you spoken with Danny yet?" Tani would grill him if he didn't at least try to push him in the right direction.

Steve sighed.

"Listen, Junior. I appreciate your concern, but I really don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Well, Tani had called him. He asked her to relay a message to you."

Steve's heart missed a beat at Junior's words. Were they over? Should he pick up the rest of his stuff? Did the blond want a divorce?

"We should make sure you understand that he didn't want to punish you and that he doesn't want you to stay away permanently. The ball is apparently in your corner now. I don't know the details, but I think you should call or go see him so you two can fix this" recommended the younger SEAL.

"Yeah, right. You don't know the details. It … it's complicated okay? And maybe it can't be fixed no matter what I say and do." Steve felt so damn uncertain and worried. His usual confidence was completely gone, and he hated himself for not being able to move forward because he was too afraid his apology would be rejected.

"I don't think no relationship is ever easy, but you are a SEAL and SEAL's don't give up. That's all I'm saying, man." Junior sighed. That was his last attempt to convince Steve to do the right thing, at least for today.

"Would you leave me alone if I promise to give Danny a call later?"

Junior grinned satisfied and went back to pack his surfer bag. Steve groaned and went upstairs to change into his trunks.

A few minutes later he heard mumbling voices downstairs. Tani must have arrived. He wasn't in the mood for her meddling. So, Steve waited until he could hear them head out before he picked up his phone. Junior's words about relationships not being easy made him think of that song from that one Rocky movie he had enjoyed watching with his dad as a kid, something he surprisingly had in common with his husband. 

_There's no easy way out  
There's no short cut home_

Steve took a deep breath and dialed Danny's number.

After he had showered and redressed, his hand once again wandered to his chest right where his wedding ring was hidden behind the fabric of his polo shirt. His mind was orbiting around Rachel's question if they would get a divorce. The thought was horrible, and Steve was never as scared of something as he was right now of losing his husband. His swimming hadn't helped with clearing his head. He looked at his phone. He missed a few calls but none of them were from Danny. What had he expected after his meager trials at reaching out to his husband that had ended with probably the worst voicemail you could think of in their situation. He cursed the phone company that it wasn't possible to delete your stupid messages you left for others. God, why was this so damn hard for him? Yeah, apologizing had never been his strong suit, but he owed it to Danny. He just couldn't figure out where to start and what to say. After his failed attempts to find the right words on the phone, he realized that he needed to speak with the blond in person. He just needed to find the courage to drive over there first.

He went downstairs feeling miserable and lonely. He desperately needed comfort and since it looked like he wouldn't get it from Danny any time soon and with good reason, he would try to get the next best thing to try and soothe his heart.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:


	19. Time for a wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all cleared your schedule after you received the invitation at the end of the last chapter.  
> This is the longest chapter so far.  
> And it is very dear to me. It is the first complete chapter that I've written for this story.  
> Let me know what you think of it.
> 
> Oh, and if anybody is interested in listening to the songs mentioned in this chapter, I made a playlist:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVYALbkJkro&list=PLPpQcs4FYkZl_ukIPTe99Hzfwkh6GKbSW&index=2&t=0s
> 
> Now lets get this party started!
> 
> \-----------------------------------------------S<3D---------------------------------------

Steve was moping in front of the TV when Junior came home. 

"I brought shrimps from Kamekona. The big guy told me to let you know that calories were good for you in times of a crisis." Junior put the bag with the food on the coffee table. Steve put the TV on pause.

"Thanks, but I'm not feeling hungry."

"Fine, mind if I sit with you while I eat?" Junior asked, hoping Steve would start eating at least a few bites if he stayed close with the food. He hadn't seen the older man eat anything since they returned home yesterday. The SEAL just shrugged. So, Junior sat down on the couch next to his friend and mentor.

"What are we watching?" He asked Steve, pointing to the screen.

"The wedding video Jerry made for Danny and me."

"Oh..." Suddenly Junior wasn't sure anymore if he should stay.

Maybe Steve would want his privacy to wallow in the reminiscences of his relationship with Danny. It seems that instead of grieving Joe's death Steve was mourning his marriage that Steve was afraid of being over. But what Tani had told Junior about the short conversation she had with Danny a few hours ago, the blond man had no intention to end his relationship with Steve. Junior had told his mentor so, but it didn't seem to soothe Steve much.

Deciding, that it was better not to let Steve sit here glooming alone, Junior said, "I would like to see that. I heard it was a great party."

"It was," Steve said melancholically and pressed play again.

_A banner was seen on the screen, reading: Wedding preparation - groom Daniel Williams.  
A door opened. _

Junior recognized the room as the one he was currently sleeping in.

"You had the wedding at this house?" Junior asked Steve.

"Yeah, we wanted to keep it small and simple." Steve still sounded melancholic, but a little happier because of the fond memory. 

_The camera moved closer._

_"And here we have our second groom, Daniel Williams," Junior heard Jerry say._

_"What are you doing, Jerry?" Danny asked. He was in his socks and underwear and just started on buttoning up his shirt._

_"Oh, this is my present for you and Steve."_

_"I know that! I was there when you talked us through all the different techniques you wanted to use for the video. But what I meant was, why are you filming me while I'm basically in just my underwear, starting to get dressed?"_

_"Steve send me over to make sure you don't get all runaway bride on him."_

_"Leave me alone, so I can get ready in peace and tell the crazy SEAL to hold his seahorses. I'll see him at the altar."_

_"It is not a church wedding, so technically there is no altar."_

Junior smiled. That was typical Jerry. He could see Detective Williams trying to stay calm at Jerry's correction.

_"You know what I mean! That pergola thingy with all the little yellow lei flowers all over it, that Steve insisted we use."_

_"You mean the ʻilima, the official flower of the island Oʻahu. Did you know that while it is still strung into leis that they are also used as a mild laxative for babies?"_

_"Stop it with the fun facts, Jerry. Out now! And this better don't show up in the final version of this video!"_

Junior chuckled, while on the screen you saw the camera leaving the room.

"I bet Danny was pissed at seeing that."

"Oh, he had a major rant when Jerry showed it to us after our honeymoon. But Jerry explained he needed to stay true to his art. Wait a while, he even made Flippa film from a different angle." Steve said amused.

_Another banner showed up on the screen: McGarrett/Williams wedding – the ceremony_

_Jerry was behind the pergola Danny mentioned and was zooming in onto the end of the path leading to the pergola. Steve's sister and her daughter were waiting there. Mary was wearing a beautiful rose gold bridesmaid dress. Joan who obviously was going to be the flower girl had a little basket in her hand and was wearing a cute dress similar to that of her mom. Steve came into view, walking towards his sister._

Thanks to a really good audio filter even from the distance you could distinguish what was said.

_"You look beautiful, Mary."_

_"I know, but look at you, handsome."_

While on the screen Steve was complimenting his niece being the `cutest and prettiest princess ever´, Junior on the couch leaned over to Steve and said, "Nice tux."

"I wanted us to wear jeans and a nice dress shirt, no shoes. Because of a beach wedding - duh. But Danny called me a Neanderthal animal and reminded me that it still was a wedding, not a beach party. He was complaining about the sand in his shoes practically the whole evening, though."

Junior laughed at that and looked at the screen again. 

_Grace had come into view, wearing a dress matching Mary's and Joan's. She was followed by her father._

_"Hi!" Steve said breathlessly to his soon-to-be-husband who looked stunning in his tux. They had been on the same page when they had stated that they didn't want to get married wearing their specific uniforms. So, while Steve had decided on a midnight navy blue tux with a matching bow-tie, his husband-to-be had chosen a steel grey tux that perfectly fit with the tie he wore._

_The blond gave the SEAL a big happy smile and answered, "Hi yourself!"_

_After a closer look, Steve noticed something that made him feel very touched._

_"Wait, is that the tie…"_

_"That I wore when we first met in your garage? Well, yes, it is. Do… do you like it?" the blond asked sheepishly._

_"I love it." Both men looked each other lovingly in the eye and were about to kiss._

_"Hey, you two. Save that for after the I do's" Mary interrupted them._

_"Kissing's for after yes, Uncle Steve" Joan chimed in in her sweet baby voice._

_"Everybody ready?" Grace asked totally unfaced and focused on her mission to get her dad and Steve down the aisle._

_"As we'll ever be, monkey."_

_"Good, then let's get this show on the road."_

"Grace decided she had to be our wedding planner, with Kono's help. She did a great job, though." Steve explained to Junior.

"Who was the best man or maid of honor?"

"It was hard to decide between our friends, but everybody found a spot in the wedding party in the end. Kono was Danny's maid of honor and Chin was my best man. Mary and Grace gave us away and Grover planed our bachelor poker night."

_On the screen, Grace was waving her hand and a soft melody started to play. There was a short cut in the video and then a woman appeared on the screen. She was standing right to the pergola with a guy behind a keyboard. After a few notes from the keyboard, the woman started to sing._

_Til my body is dust  
Til my soul is no more  
I will love you, love you _

"You had a wedding singer?"

"Yeah, but only for a few songs. Kamekona has a cousin who knew her. Made a good deal or so he told us. But he probably paid her in shrimp dinners. You know how he does business. My aunt offered to do it too, but because her condition had worsened a bit we thankfully declined. But she still presented us with a song at the reception." Steve still felt sad about his aunt's passing, but he would be forever grateful that she could be at his wedding.

_On screen, the song went on and the camera switched back to the wedding party. Mary nudged her daughter to start walking down the aisle. The audience had risen and started to awe._

_Til the sun starts to cry  
And the moon turns to rust  
I will love you, love you_

_Mary linked his arm with Steve's and followed suit. Grace did the same with her dad._

_But I need to know  
Will you stay for all time  
Forever and a day  
Then I'll give my heart  
'til the end of all time  
Forever and a day_

_The camera escorted the wedding party down to the pergola where a man was waiting for them to start officiating the wedding._

"Is that Governor Denning?" Junior asked surprised.

"When we told him we were dating, he offered to officiate when we wouldn't kill each other before. But according to Grace and Kono, in the end, it was a close call between him and Sang Min, one of our old informants. I think they said that to mess with Danny, though." Steve was remembering about the weird dreams Danny used to have before the wedding.

_The wedding singer was performing the last lines of the song when the wedding party arrived in front of the governor._

_'Til the storms fill my eyes  
And we touch the last time  
I will love you, love you_

_I will love you, love you...  
I will love you, love you, love you..._

_"Great job, Joanie. Go sit with Charlie" Steve told his niece. The proud little girl did as she was told. Grace went to stand next to Kono who was also wearing a rose gold dress. Mary took her place next to Chin ho wore a classic black suit. The music stopped and Denning started to speak._

_"Dear groom's couple, dear family and friends. I welcome you all here at this beautiful beach on this very special day. When I first met those two, I was afraid of the island as well as their sanity and mine. But as you say – opposites attract, so maybe it isn't such a big surprise that we are all here today, to witness Steve and Danny pledging their love to each other. Over the years and thanks to my genius idea of assigning them a counselor, their bond has become stronger and Hawaii got safer."_

While Denning went on about love and commitment, Junior threw a glance over to Steve and noticed him munching on a fried shrimp. Good, the young Ex-SEAL thought to himself. His plan worked.

_On screen, the governor came to the end of his introduction speech._

_"As the couple has told me, they prepared their own vows. Danny, you may start." The blond nodded and then locked eyes with his soon to be husband._

_"Steve, when we first met, I would have never thought, that the day would come where I would end up right here next to you, about to get married. I didn't like you, just like I didn't like this island and pineapple on pizza. I couldn't imagine that our partnership would work. But thankfully, fate had other plans. I still hate pineapple on pizza, though."_

_There was some minor booing coming from the locals and an `Amen to that´ from Danny's family. But Steve just grinned at Danny, like the fool in love that he was. The blond man didn't let the reactions from their guests irritate him and continued with a firm voice._

_"But I have fallen for you, babe. You made me feel at home here. We've been through so much together, but we could always count on each other. Today I promise you that I'll be on your side forever. To try to put up with your crazy, to support you as best as I can, and to always look out for you. I will love you unconditionally until, death, hopefully, a natural one when we are old and grey, will do us part."_

_"The rings, please," Denning said. When nothing happened, the governor cleared his throat and asked. "May the ringbearer step forward?"_

_"It's your turn, buddy," Danny addressed his son who was their ringbearer but had missed his cue. But because he was only four, he was forgiven. The little boy jumped off his chair and quickly walked over to his dad._

"He really looks like a mini Danny, especially in that little tux." Junior mentioned.

"Yeah. Danny even let him use some of his hair-gel." Steve smiled fondly. He had missed the little guy, nearly as much as his father.

_"Sorry, Danno!" The boy said worrying his lower lip with his teeth._

_"Don't be, Charlie. Everything's all right."_

_"Yeah, don't worry, champ. You did great." Steve assured._

_"Okay, now let's continue, shall we?" The governor said._

_"Of course, yeah…" Danny untangled the knot of the white satin ribbon that tied their rings onto the small ruby-velvet ring pillow. They both easily had agreed on simple, but elegant platinum bands. Engraved on the inside was -My life, my love my joy-._

_"Steve, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. It shall be a reminder of the vows we have spoken today." He put the ring onto Steve's finger and then gently rubbed his thumb over it._

_"Daniel Williams, do you take Steven McGarrett to be your lawful wedded husband?" Denning asked the blond the official question._

_"Yes, I do," Danny answered. The governor nodded and said, "Steve, you may speak now."_

_The SEAL took a short, deep breath before he started to recite his vows._

_"Danny, you are my safe harbor, my voice of reason, and my whole world. You give me peace. With you, I can finally be the man I always was supposed to be. You gave me a family, your trust, and your heart. On this day I promise you to help to nourish our love, so it will stay strong and grow even stronger, to always put you and the kids first and to try to not get you shot at on a daily basis."_

_The audience chuckled at that. Danny beamed at him, all-loving smile._

_Steve continued. "I will stand by you in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health as long as we both shall live. And, so God will, even in the afterlife."_

_Steve freed the second ring from the pillow and took Danny's hand in his. The blond man's eyes had teared up a little._

_"Danny, I want you to wear this ring as a sign of my love and my faith in our strength together. I will be forever honored to call you my husband." With that, Steve slid the ring on his partner's finger and then kissed it lovingly._

_A few tears escaped Danny's eyes and Steve brushed it softly away with his thumb. Only when he felt his lover's hand on his own face, he did notice that he was a little crying himself._

_"Steven McGarrett, do you take Daniel Williams to be your lawful wedded husband?" The governor asked._

_"Yes, I do."_

Junior was astonished by the high quality of Jerry's home video. It was an audio-visual masterpiece. Next to him, he heard Steve snivel.

"Think I've caught a cold," the older man said. While watching them exchange their vows, Steve realized that Danny was right. He kind of had broken his vows. But what was worse was that his actions had hindered the blond to uphold his own vows. God, he was an awful husband. No wonder Danny had exiled him to the beach house. He still didn't know how to make it up or even talk to the blond.

_The video went on with Denning finishing the ceremony._

_"By the power vested in me by the beautiful state of Hawaii, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss each other. "_

And what a kiss it was. It would be forever imprinted into Steve's mind. It was close to their very first kiss, just a little less tongue, but none less perfect. Odell had given them a good shave that morning so there was not even a nanometer of stubble that could bug them. The kiss felt like a promise of a lifetime together. Full of devotion. Passionate, intense, hopeful, happy, slow, and sweet, incredibly tender, loving, and soft. Steve would give everything to be kissed like that by Danny again.

_On-screen, everybody had stood up and was cheering now._

_When they broke the kiss, the guy at the keyboard had switched to a guitar. As soon as he started to play their wedding singer began with the chorus of an acoustic, downtempo version of Kelly Clarkson's `My life would suck without you´. The camera followed the newlywed couple leading the recessional out over to the lanai were part of the reception would take place._

"Bold choice in music," Junior commented.

"Grace was in charge of the music because Danny and I couldn't agree on that matter and she was sick about us arguing about it. Thank god Kono rained her in a little or we would have ended up with a full-blown teenage romance playlist. That way we only ended up with this one Kelly Clarkson song and to be honest, we both kind of liked it." Steve explained.

_On-screen, jet another banner showed up, reading: McGarrett/Williams Wedding – The Reception_

_On the lanai, everybody was seated at round tables. Steve and Danny shared a look, Danny nodded and then Steve was pinging against his champagne flute. When he got all their guest's attention, he cleared his throat and started a really short speech._

_"Danny and I like to thank you all for being here today. Before we get this party started, we wanted to let you know, that since we decided against speeches, we put up a little booth in the house next to the gift table, where you can take pictures or record video messages. There is also a little guestbook where you can leave us a note. Jerry – our wedding filmmaker will make sure we will get everything. So, to not delay the fun part any further, I herewith declare the buffet as opened."_

_The camera turned left where the buffet was placed. Over it, a paper banner was spanned, reading: Kamekona's wedding shrimp buffet._

"We still didn't figure out how he made it happen, but he kind of coerced us into hiring him to be the caterer. We were looking for something different because we eat his shrimps often enough. But oddly, no other caterer on the island seemed to be able to deliver us at that date." Steve told Junior. 

The younger man grinned. The big guy had more connections than one can count.

"At least we could persuade him to add a meat dish to the menu. Danny's brother in law is allergic to shrimps."

_A new banner appeared – Dancing with 5-0: The newlyweds with a rumba to `At the beginning´ from the animated film Anastasia – Let's dance!_

_The music started and the wedding singer began to sing. As it was a duet, the keyboarder joined in in the second verse._

Junior was laughing about Jerry's banner text. Steve smiled and remembered who decided to use that song. 

They didn't have what other couples would call "our song". Of course, if you'd ask Steve, he will say it was "Sexy eyes". But since Danny had threatened to divorce him before they even got married if he dared to use that song, they had argued about what to choose instead.

_"We can't do a wedding dance to a Bon Jovi or Springsteen song, Danny!"_

_"Can't or won't?" Danny said enraged._

_"I agree with Uncle Steve, Danno," Grace said._

_"Now you two are ganging up on me – great! Tell you what, why don't you decide since apparently my taste in music is not up to par!"_

_"Don't worry, Danno. Aunt Kono and I already found a song for the first dance. It fits you two perfectly. It is nice and slow – easy to dance to and very romantic."_

Of course, Grace was right. Even if pop ballades weren't their preferred music style, they both loved that song. It had been a beautiful moment shared between them. Grace and Kono had taught them a little choreography with some dips and twirls. And they did good, even if in the end they were more swaying and kissing than dancing.

"You two know your way around the dance floor" Junior interrupted Steve's thoughts. 

"Rachel made him take dance classes with her before their wedding and I'm just a natural," Steve said smugly. It was what he said to Danny after they first tried it, too. 

But where his lover had given him an annoyed eye-roll, Junior just said, "Cool!"

_On screen, the dance was over, and their guests applauded. Steve and Danny smiled at each other, kissed one more time, and then slowly moved apart._

_A cut followed and then it was on to the cake cutting. They had decided on a three-layered cake, minimal decorated, just some edible flowers, and little fondant hibiscus blossoms for some color. Of course, it had buttercream frosting. After they cut the first slice, with them alternating their hands on top of the knife, Danny smashed the slice into Steve's face while feeding him the first bite. But the SEAL didn't seem to mind. He leaned forward surprising his husband with a kiss, using a little bit of tongue to share the flavor. The scene ended with both their faces smeared with frosting and their guests cheering._

_There was another change in the scene. The wedding singer tapped against the microphone to get anybody's attention._

_"As I was informed by the newlyweds, it is now time for the fathers/monkey dance. So, may I ask the couple and Grace Williams to the dancefloor, please?"_

_The camera turned to Danny's daughter who looked surprised. Danny and he had planned this behind her back. Kono helped, giving the song information to the wedding singer who was pleased with the choice. Steve had brought up the rather untraditional version for the father/daughter dance one night, but it was Danny who insisted to include Steve._

_The first tunes of Adele's 'Make You Feel My Love' were played as Danny took Grace's hand and they started to dance. He switched with his husband after a third of the song and they all reunited for the last part. Holding Grace close and telling her how much they loved her and how proud they were of her for pulling all this together._

_All guests were touched by that moment. Off-screen, you could hear Jerry snivel and the camera shook a little._

_"Flippa, take over for me, please. I need some tissues."_

_"No problem brah."_

"Can't believe she will be off to college soon. How the time flies." Steve said with a deep sigh. They would let her check her options, but Danny and he were both hoping she would stay in Hawaii.

"You both can be proud. She has grown into a beautiful, smart young woman." Junior said.

"That she has." Steve agreed.

_The dance scene ended, and a new banner appeared reading: Song/performance gifts to the newlyweds._

_First up was Flippa with his ukulele._

_"Hi everybody. Please give a warm applause to our wedding singer duo Kehaulani Mahoe and Akamu Iona. You guys were awesome. So sad we have to say goodbye already."_

_The guests cheered and whistled, and the duo took a bow._

_"So, while they pack up and we plug in the sound system for the rest of the party, I'll entertain you with a few songs. The first one goes out to the Jersey crowd. An oldie but goodie by the Hoboken native, Ol' Blue Eyes, Mr. Frank Sinatra - here is for you `Love and marriage´._

_After the song ended the guests requested the newlyweds to kiss again. The couple happily complied._

_"Okay. Looks like we are nearly ready. But the night is young and so are we. I have one more song for you. It was also once sung by Sinatra and it is about our beautiful island state. There is no better way to celebrate the liaison between Danny and Steve. May all your dreams come true."_

_Flippa started stringing his ukulele once more and played his version of `Blue Hawaii´._

"He is a really good entertainer. Why is he still working for Kamekona?" Junior wanted to know.

"I think it has something to do with Flippa's mother jumping to the conclusion that his music is an unprofitable activity. At least it's what he told me."

After that song, the video continued with Deb's musical present for the couple.

_On screen Steve's aunt and Nicky Demarco came into view. Deb took the microphone._

_"Steve, when you called me to tell me that Danny and you would get married, I felt so happy. You deserve all the love in the world, and you found the perfect match for you. Danny, I know you will take good care of my nephew. I wish you all the best. There is no place I'd rather be right now. So, here is something to remember on your path through matrimony."_

_With that, she and Nicky started to sing their version of `Recipe for love´. After the first verse was over, Aunt Deb pulled Steve to the dance floor for a short dance, while Nicky finished singing the song by himself. Aunt Deb's husband was happily clapping along at his table._

"God, I miss her," Steve said sounding sad. 

"She is dead?" Junior asked since he had never met the woman.

"Yeah, she passed a few weeks after our wedding."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. Thankfully, she died peacefully in her sleep. We dispersed her ashes at the top of a mountain." Steve smiled, even if it was sad, the moment had been peaceful. Just, him, Mary, Joanie, and Danny, who had fallen behind while hiking up. All the time mumbling about why Deb's last wish couldn't have been a balloon flight or something other, less straining.

_A new banner appeared: Now it's time for the King!_

_Jerry came onto the little stage._

_"Steve, Danny, I'm honored that you invited me to your wedding. Your relationship should be a shining example for all of us. You know I'm not a man of many words…"_

_Off-screen, you could hear Danny and Grover calling. "Since when?" Many of their guests chuckled at that._

_"Okay, maybe I sometimes overdo it… a little… but anyway… nobody could talk about love, like the king himself. So, this song is for you."_

_Then Jerry blew them away with Elvis's `Can't help falling in love´._

_Off-screen, you could hear Kamekona saying to Flippa. "We will send that to `America's got talent´."_

_Then it was time for Lou's and Chin's performance. It was a funny version of the Blues Brothers' `Soul Man´. All with hats and sunglasses._

"Can I show that to Tani? She needs to see this." Junior said laughing.

"You got it. Just ask Jerry for a copy. I think he still has single clips from the party. But if Grover asks you didn't have it from me, okay?"

_On-screen, Steve and Danny hugged Chin and Grover and then Steve, to his husband's utter surprise, took over the stage. Someone placed two chairs and Steve's guitar next to the couple._

_"Sit down, please, Danny."_

_"What are you doing?" the blond asked curiously but sat down like he was asked. Steve just held up his hand, signaling his husband to be patient. He would get to it. Then the SEAL set down on the other chair and picked up his guitar, gave it a short test string before he addressed the audience._

_"As some of you know, I played guitar when I was a teenager. Thanks to Danny I picked it up again a year ago and as the awesome human being that he is, he always encourages me to play." He stopped looking at their guests and focused on his husband before he continued._

_"So baby, this one is my wedding gift for you."_

When he first heard the song on the radio, he thought about Danny and him straightaway. Steve remembered how he rehearsed the song whenever the detective wasn't around. Wanting it to be perfect when he would finally play it for his husband. At first, he just wanted to play guitar, but his aunt convinced him to sing as well and helped him with the vocals when she got to Hawaii before the wedding. It was a little piece of work because in some lines he wanted to change the I's and you's to make it a better fit for them.

_On-screen, Steve started to play the guitar version of John Legend's "All of me". He was nervous and still had to look down at the movements of his fingers for the major part of the song. To his surprise, the singing went more smoothly than during rehearsal. And whenever he looked up at his husband, he could see the blonde's awestruck, dopey, loving smile that was strictly reserved for him._

_"We will send that to `America's got talent´ too. It is always better to have two aces up your sleeve." Kamekona said behind the camera. When the song ended everybody was applauding. Steve put the guitar away and Danny and he stood up._

_"You had to outdo me with your present, hadn't you?" Danny asked._

_"Did you like it?" Steve asked shyly._

_"Of course, I liked it. You know I love hearing you play. But now you even sang for me. It was so beautiful, babe."_

_"It was barely any good," Steve said declining._

_"Yes, it was because you did it for me. I love you so much, babe." He grabbed Steve's shirt, to hold him still and then stepped up on his toes to give his husband a long, passionate kiss. The SEAL's hands automatically went for Danny's hips to steady him._

"Wow, I think this is the first time I ever saw you being humble." Junior teased.

"Shut up, will you? I'm the epitome of modesty." Steve said acting offended.

While on-screen their guests were wolf-whistling and cheering because of the couple's ongoing kiss, Steve thought he should maybe try to serenade Danny into forgiveness. It's been a while since he last played. A few days before Christmas, when Danny banned the kids and him from the house to wrap up their presents. He went to the beach house with the kids and started a little campfire down at the beach. They had s'mores and sang some Christmas songs together. 

_When the newlyweds finally broke the kiss, on-screen-Steve said, "So… what about your gift for me?" He smiled like a little kid on Christmas morning._

_"You can't wait for it, can you?" The blond said and grinned at his husband. Then he grasped into his tux-pocket and took out a hotel keycard._

_"I've booked the honeymoon suite at the Hilton for the night. Delayed checkout time included." Danny announced happily._

Steve was still stunned. Danny was known as the more generous of the two, sure. But the SEAL knew how pricy that place was and that, since he knew about Charlie, his husband put most of his spare money into a college fund for his son, just like he did for Grace. And with them both sharing the costs for the wedding, Danny must have touched his retirement savings to afford this overnight stay. 

_"You didn't!" on-screen-Steve said disbelievingly._

_"Of course, I did. You didn't really think we would be spending our wedding night at home when our houses are packed full of our relatives, did you?"_

_"God, I love you, baby." This time Steve leaned down to kiss his husband._

Days later Danny had explained to him that accommodating their relatives in their houses saved them the costs of at least 4 regular hotel rooms and that was enough to afford the suite. Steve had called him a genius calculator and got him to wear the glasses from the undercover op at the university in bed for him. 

_The gift exchange of the grooms was followed by a mix of scenes of their guests dancing during the night. Clara and Eddie did an awesome hustle at one point. Eric did something resembling Michael Jackson's `Moon Walk´, that according to Danny, his nephew did on family events since he was 10._

_The video ended with a slow-motion of all of them dancing to Bryan Adams' `Depend on me´. Jerry named it their Ohana dance on his banner for the clip._

_Then there was a hard cut and suddenly another scene showed up. It must have been recorded way later that night. A panning shot showed that the lanai was nearly abandoned. Some of Kamekona's hired wedding crew wrapped up the leftovers and started to dismantle the chairs and tables. Mary and Grace were on their way to get already sleeping Joan and Charlie up to bed. Some remaining guests were mingling down the beach, but Steve and Danny were still on the dancefloor. The hi-fi equipment had kept playing during the clear up. Jerry got closer to the couple. Bob Seger's `Night moves´ was playing._

_"What do you think, baby? Time to start working on our own night moves?" Steve asked flirting heavily. His bow-tie hang loosely around his neck and the first two buttons of his shirt were open. Their pelvises where slightly grinding against each other._

_"You think you can convince me to have sex in the backseat of the Marquis, babe?" Danny's tie was missing, and his shirt's two top buttons were open as well._

_"Hm…maybe not right now but keep that idea in mind. It's great. God, can't wait to get my hands on you." Steve's hand moved from Danny's waist down to his ass. The blond moaned quietly._

_"For your interest, I'm wearing the snug black boxer-briefs you like me in," Steve informed his husband and started to kiss his neck._

_"Fucking sexy, babe, now I can't wait to be in you. I'll make you scream and… Jerry? What the hell? The party is over. Turn the camera off or I swear to god, I'll get you fired, and you'll never get a badge!" Danny screamed when he noticed they were filmed._

_"Sorry, Danny!" Jerry said alarmed at the thread._

_The screen immediately went black._

"Oh wow. TMI!" Junior said turning a little red.

"Shit, you shouldn't have seen that. Sorry Junior. There were 2 DVDs. One at this house, one over at Danny's. I forgot that this was Jerry's directors' cut. That scene wasn't on the end version we sent to our family."

"Okay… right… time for bed." The young man said, got a hold on the empty food containers, and quickly left the living room. He would go find Eddie and some brain bleach.

Slightly laughing at Junior's exit, Steve sunk back into the couch. He knew what was at stake, he needed to fight for his marriage.


	20. Wedding wishes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You remember Steve mentioning the video booth their guests could use for their wedding wishes to them? Well, here are some of them. 
> 
> \---------------------------------------S<3D-------------------------------------------------

After Junior had left with Eddie for a late walk, Steve resumed watching the rest of the wedding video. Following the cut at the end of the reception were the congratulations and well wishes from their Ohana. Listening to their guests really made Steve looking forward to seeing them all again. 

It started with a pre-recorded video message from Catherine. 

_"Steve, Danny - I honestly never thought that the day would come when I would get an invitation to your wedding."_

Since they didn't have an address nor a phone number at the time, they used Cath's last known private e-mail address to send her the invite. Jerry had found out that the account was checked regularly. So, they hoped she would get it in time. As it turned out she had, but she still hadn't made it due to her job.

_"Not because I thought that you would never get married, but because I didn't expect to be invited since I'm the Ex, you know? Nevertheless, I'm happy that our friendship and both of your hearts are big enough that you wanted me with you on your special day. Unfortunately, I'm somewhere classified at the moment." Cath chuckled at that._

_"I bet Danny is rolling his eyes right now."_

Yeah, Danny had rolled his eyes when they had watched the video together for the first time. Steve sighed. At first, that habit was annoying to the SEAL but after a while, it had gotten endearing. 

_Anyway, I wish I could be there, but at the moment all I can do is send you this message. It's your wedding day today and I wish you nothing but pure bliss and the absence of explosives." She winked at them in remembrance of the events on Kono's wedding day._

_"I don't know if Joe could make it. Last I heard his contracting firm was doing well. But I think I speak for both of us that we are very proud of you Steve. You did it. You finally found your happily ever after and you deserve to be happy. You both do. Enjoy your day. Take care of each other and I hope we will see us again soon."_

Steve got wistful when Cath mentioned Joe. He knew he had to mourn Joe's death at one point. That he couldn't keep the grief in his mind compartment forever. But how could he mourn his mentor when he was at risk of losing Danny - his reason to live? Both literally and figuratively because of them sharing a liver.

He continued watching and the recordings from the video booth had started with Mary's message to them.

_She had a huge smile on her face._

_"Hey, big brother. Jerry said he needed someone for a test-run. So, here I am. Wishing you and Danny all the luck and love in the world. You are good for each other. And later if you are old and grey, I'll tell your grandchildren that they shouldn't listen to aunty Kono because it was me who was the first one to figure out that there was something special between you and your partner. I wasn't actually talking about you two surfing together when I referred to you as surf-buddies. Danny, I already gave you the shovel talk. So, there is not much more to say. Welcome to the family. Take care of my brother. He is yours now. No, take backs." She chuckled with a bright grin._

_"And Steve… it feels weird raising Joanie without grandparents around. I kind of understand how it must feel like to get married without our parents at your side. I think dad would have liked Danny and I know he would be as proud of you as I am. Oh, I see Grace is waiting for me. It is time to get this party started. I hope you two will enjoy your big day. I'm coming! Hold your horses." With that, his sister left the screen._

Hearing her last words made Steve feel melancholic. Yeah, he had missed his parents there. He could still remember how sad he felt after Danny and he had called Clara and Eddie to tell them that they would get married. The blond, always sensitive when it came to his SEAL's feelings, knew that something was up. He made the taller man tell him what was up with him. So, Steve had confessed. Trying his best not to start crying like a baby. Danny just pulled him into his arms and told him that it was alright to be sad that their lost loved ones wouldn't be at their wedding. He would miss his brother just as much as Steve would miss his father. They both had set there on the couch for a while. Just holding each other and shading silent tears. Afterward, the blond suggested the SEAL should go visit John's grave since Danny knew that he used to talk to his father there. It was a good idea. The taller man insisted they go together. That's how he introduced his fiancé to his dad. The detective was with him every step of the way. Steve had never felt so safe, loved, and comforted like that in his life. It was how Danny always made him feel. It was what he was craving right now. God, how could he ever think his initial decision to keep Danny out of his revenge plans was a good idea? His actions had driven his husband away.

On-screen Danny's sisters appeared. Stella spoke first.

_"Danny, I still remember what you said to me after Eric's schmuck of a father cowardly skedaddled and I suddenly was a single mom. I don't think I ever loved you more than at that moment. You told me Eric's dad was never good enough for me and then you had a very poetic rant about what I should look for in my new partner. It was so sweet and heartwarming that I later wrote it down into my diary. Since I know me, I would start to cry halfway through it, so I asked Bridget to read it out for you."_

_Stella slid a bit to the side so that the focus was more on her sister. The youngest Williams sibling had a piece of paper in her hand and smiled. After she cleared her throat she started to read._

_"What you want is a best friend you can love without fear. Someone who understands you even in the madness. You want to fall in love with someone who talks with you after a fight, someone with whom you can be yourself, who misses you and wants to be with you forever. Someone that you can laugh with, build with, who is your support. Somebody that you can trust with your heart, your head, and your life. Somebody you are not afraid to lose because you know he will always be there. A relationship with love, trust, sincerity, loyalty. You want… not only a life partner, you want a true love… you want… because you deserve it."_

_"Steve, we don't even know you half as good as Danny does, but Bridget and I both believe with all our heart that our brother had found in you what he wished for me all those years ago" Stella continued. Even if she hadn't read out the little note she had started to slightly tear up._

_"Treat Danny well, Steve. He's something special and after what happened with him in his first trial at marriage, he deserves nothing less than a happily ever after" Bridget added._

_"We wish you both a lifetime of happiness together and a love that grows stronger with every passing day," the sisters said in unison. Both had wet eyes by know._

_"God, I need some more of that champagne" Stella stated while rubbing at her eyes._

_"You and me both sister" Bridget chimed in and the screen went black._

Steve sighed. He had promised himself that he would live up to what Danny's sisters saw in him. He felt ashamed that he let his husband down. He needed to make it up to him to prove that he was worthy of him.

After a cut, Danny's nephew appeared on the screen. He seemed slightly drunk.

_"Hey Uncle D! Wedding number two. Wow. I can hardly remember wedding number one. Because I was waaaayyyyyy to tinny back then and mom made me go to bed early. But this wedding is totes better because guess who's sitting at the grownup's table now?"_

_He pulled his thumbs up and was pointing at himself with a goofy smile on his face._

_"This guy! Anyway, congratulations on tying the knot! You know they say marriage is a relationship in which one is always right and the other is the husband? I think we let you decide who is who. Here's to a long and happy marriage. You two keep on loving each other and continue to be cool forever."_

_He was halfway out of the booth when he turned around._

_"Oh. Hey, Commander, can I call you Uncle S now? That would be so awesome!"_

Steve couldn't help but chuckle every time he watched Eric's message. He never dared to call him Uncle S since Danny and he had threatened to show his colleagues some embarrassing baby photos of him that Stella had left behind.

Next up were Kono and her husband. This wedding had been kind of a last hooray for Adam before he had to go to prison.

_"Hi Steve, hi Danny. May your wedding day be filled with special memories you can treasure forever", Adam began._

_"Even though you won't have to safe the island from a bomb today, there will be plenty of other magic moments waiting for you" Kono added._

_"Wait, the day is not over yet…" her husband noted._

_"Don't joke about that."_

_"Hey, you are the one who always tells me that Danny is complaining about McGarrett being a trouble magnet and that you sometimes have to agr...hmpf"_

_Kono pressed her hand against Adam's mouth so he couldn't say more._

_"Don't listen to him, boss! Congratulations to both of you and remember: Learning to say `Yes, dear!´ leads to a happy marriage."_

_Adam pushed her hand away._

_"Yes, dear!" he said and grinned. She grinned back and kissed him._

_"See? It totally works!"_

They had been so happy back then. But having to be apart one time too many was what had brought them down in the end. Steve hoped that this wouldn't happen to his own marriage. He wasn't as strong as Adam. He couldn't see himself getting divorced and starting all over again. He would rather go find one of Bin Laden's old burrows, crawl up in it and die. He couldn't live without Danny by his side.

After another cut, it was Lou and Renee who smiled into the camera.

_"So, Steve and Danny, congratulations. You have made a very important decision in your life today. This decision will give you joy, bliss…"_

_"Renee, please who are you trying to kid here? It will give them grey hair because when it comes to them, marriage means that they found someone who they can annoy for the rest of their life. And we all have front row tickets. Those two truly deserve each other!"_

_"As I was saying, it will give you joy, bliss, and happiness. Hardship and struggle may come, but I know you will get through it together, just like Lou and I… hey, what are you looking at every few seconds while we're recording a message to Steve and Danny?"_

_"What? I don't look away…"_

_Renee looked at her husband sternly._

_"Okay, there are only a few pieces of cake left and I want to get my hands on one of them before they are all gone. So, hurry up, woman! They knew we love them."_

_"Louis Purnell Grover…"_

The recording had ended there, but Steve knew that whenever Renee used Lou's full name that she meant business. The older couple's message was followed by short well wishes from Nahele, Duke, Kawika, Mamo, Pua, Odell, Dog, and Ellie, who brought her new girlfriend Lynn as her plus one - all wishing them a wonderful, happy life full of love in one way or another.

Next on screen was Max's message to them.

_"Detective Williams, Commander McGarrett I had the honor to witness your work and private relationship grow over the years. I come to think of you two as an exception to the rule. Like fat and water – normally they repel each other but on rare occasions, they come together in an emulsion – like milk. What I'm trying to say is, behind that bickering like an old married couple there was always a layer of deep trust, love, and mutual respect for each other. An acceptance of who you two are and how beautiful you complete each other despite your superficial differences. There might come a time when you find yourself in a tough situation – no marriage is perfect. So, please always remember to not fight each other but for each other. If you keep that in mind, I'm sure there is nothing your love couldn't rise above."_

Steve smiled. He missed his short and always optimistic friend. When he had talked to Noelani at 5-0's last Christmas party she had told him that Max would be in Hawaii come November for a conference and Sabrina's father's 65th birthday. The SEAL hoped to see him again then.

On-screen Chin appeared.

_"On a day like this, it is hard not to think about my wedding with Malia. Even though we were only married for a short time because that bastard Delano killed her, I will always be grateful that I got the chance to have her as my wife. And I have to thank you both for that. Steve, when you came back to Hawaii and asked me to be part of your taskforce, you helped me turn my life around. I finally felt good enough for Malia again and we got back together. And Danny finally encouraged me to ask her to marry me, stating that not every marriage would end like his with Rachel." Chin grinned before he got serious._

_"After she died, it was again you two I could count on. I can't thank you enough for all those nights you kept me company, Steve. And Danny, you stocked my fridge up with food, especially with half a dozen containers of Matzo ball soup and you always had a sympathetic ear for me. Both of you, thank you for being a friend. Mahalo."_

_"But enough about the past. Today is your wedding day and nobody deserves to be happy more than you two. Took you long enough. Over the years I watched your relationship grow from the sidelines. Listening to your bickering, but that's just your unique love-language. Until you finally realized what we others had noticed years ago – that you were made for each other. May you be blessed with an awesome journey together. One thing is for sure. Your life as a married couple will be anything but boring, especially with a husband like Steve. Here's to an adventurous and thrilling marriage, my brahs. Ho'omaika'i 'Ana!"_

Steve sighed. While he was proud of Chin for building up his own task force with Abby, he still missed his friend. The Hawaiian native had always been a good listener himself. He would probably know how to approach Danny and made him understand.

The next congratulations came from a person they hadn't expected – Rachel. While they had invited her and Stan (Steve thought it would be a nice gesture in hope to reconcile the co-parents) she had politely declined. She didn't think that it would be a good idea while she was trying to save her marriage with Stan. Danny didn't really care if she would be there or not. He was just glad that she allowed him to have Charlie with him on their wedding day. They had been aware of that Rachel came by quite late that evening to pick up Charlie. After the exciting day and getting to know his Jersey relatives the little boy was tired and wanted his mommy. Grace had handled the handover while they had said goodbye to their last guests.

_"Hey Danny, I just came to pick up Charlie and Kamekona suggested I leave some good wishes for Steve and you before he starts to dismantle the video booth. So, I'll think I'll do just that." Rachel sighed before she continued._

_"A few days ago, I read an article about Paul Robear and his work at the Cuyamungue Institute in New Mexico. I got caught on a quote by him that really got me thinking. `A soul mate is… someone whose way of viewing life is not necessarily the same as yours but complements yours… there is not a compromise, there is a complement.´ I realized that we didn't have that with each other, but that you have it with Steve. You found your true love, Danny. I hope he will turn out to be exactly what you need him to be. But the way I know Steven, he will exceed your greatest expectations. I'm happy for you. Really. I knew we are not on the best terms right now and that I'm at fault for that, but I hope we will find common ground again someday. For the children and our own sake. Well, I guess we see each other when you pick up Charlie and Grace next weekend."_

Steve was glad that Rachel and Danny were doing much better now. She had been wrong, though. He hadn't been what Danny needed him to be. He failed him. The SEAL sighed and watched the rest of the video and saw Kamekona appear on the screen.

_"I am wishing you the best of things in your marriage. May your life together be filled with love and happiness. However, you can't live on love alone. My shrimp truck will always be there for you and because I believe in the longevity of your marriage and my business, I have a special present for you. A shrimp dinner coupon for your diamond wedding anniversary." The big guy held up the coupon and smiled into the camera as if he was handing them a fortune._

A coupon to their 60th wedding anniversary. Clever. Kamekona was clearly speculating on the coupon to never be cashed in since Danny and he would be 99 years old by that time. But they had sworn that they would beat the odds and have that shrimp dinner. _Only 57 years to go_ , Steve thought. He wanted those 57 years with Danny. He couldn't imagine a future without the blond. He just hoped that his husband was still wanting the same.

Kamekona had forgotten to push the stop button on the recorder. When he was halfway out of the booth you could hear Grace's voice off-screen.

_"Hey Kamekona! Do you mind to postpone removing the booth? It was a long day and I haven't left them a message yet."_

_"Sure, Keiki. Take your time. I'll go and make sure Flippa doesn't eat all of the leftovers. I bet some of them are good to sell tomorrow at the shrimp truck for half the price."_

With that, the big guy had left the booth and after Grace had thanked him, she set down in front of the camera.

_"There's probably no other person who is as happy as I am today. I am simply the happiest person in the world to witness you marrying my Danno, Uncle Steve. I knew you were special to him when he first talked about you. He didn't talk about his former co-workers often and certainly not in the way he talked about you. You made him happy again. Of course, he tried to hide that behind his constant complaining about you. But I'm a smart girl and even back then I could see right through it. My dad is one of the good guys. When he loves someone, he loves them with his whole heart and the only thing I ask of you is please don't break it. Today you not only married my Danno, but you also got me and little Charlie. We are your family now and I hope that our family will become a place full of love and peace that will always keep you safe."_

_Grace took a deep breath. She was visibly choked up by the emotions that her honest words had triggered._

_"Oh and Danno, don't think I've forgotten you in my little speech. You are the best dad a child can have, and you deserve to be happy. I'm so glad you decided to give love a second chance. Uncle Steve is lucky to have you. I hope you've thanked mom and Stan for moving to Hawaii. Otherwise, you and Steve would have never met each other, and you would probably both still be sad, lonely, and miserable. What you two have is special. Never forget that. Take care of each other. I wish you a long and happy life together even though I know that you'll probably drive each other crazy for the most of it. I love you both so much."_

_She ended her message by blowing them a kiss._

Steve was sniffling again. He really needed to fix this because losing Danny would mean losing his family. God, when this all had started his only intention had been to keep his family safe. To take the fight far away from then. He had never thought his decision might cost him everything.

Clara and Eddie were the last people in the video. They probably recorded it before they went to bed in Steve's old room at the beach house. They wished them a long and happy life together and reminded them to never give up on their love and to take time to cherish each other. 

The tv screen went black and Steve sighed. The SEAL had engraved that advice into his mind. Danny and he tried to follow it as best as they could. Always making sure to mention how much they meant to each other. Steve let his head drop against the couch's headrest and sighed again. He had handled the aftermath of Joe's death poorly. Starting with his disappearing act. Then seeking revenge without his team and especially Danny. He thought as long as they were safe everything would be alright. He outright neglected his husband's feelings in all of this, keeping him at arm's length ever since he joined Catherine and him in Montana. The blond had every right to be at odds with him. All because Steve couldn't handle the comfort the love of his life so generously offered to him. There were too much guilt and shame. The feeling of not deserving of Danny's kindness that was meant to ease his sorrows way to strong. He made up his mind. He needed to apologize and make it up to the detective. Tomorrow morning, he would go home and make things right with his husband. He hoped it wouldn't be too little too late. 

Steve got off the couch, pulled the DVD from the player, and was about to put it back in its cover when he noticed the little greeting card that had been inside. Denning had handed it to them after the ceremony when they had put their signatures under their marriage certificate. It was some wedding wishes from their therapist.

_Dear Steve and Danny!_

_When Governor Denning told me that I should evaluate the two leaders of his elite task force but that I had to also consider the romantical relationship between you two because you had just come out to him as a couple, I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me. Over the next couple of months, we get to know each other and worked together in couple and single sessions. In one of those sessions, I asked you separately which physical attributes you two liked about each other the most. And I was surprised that you two gave me the same answer. You both said that the other had beautiful eyes, nice strong hands, and cute ears. It was the moment I knew you two would make it. Because you would always listen to, look out for, and hold on to each other. Congratulations on your marriage._

_With best regards_

_Dr. Carlin_

The SEAL sighed. Maybe if their therapist believed in them there was still hope. He put the DVD finally back into the shelf. Afterward, the SEAL went upstairs to prepare for bed.


	21. Wedding night reprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I knew that I would have a busy week, I cut this short, little, smutty bite off of last weeks chapter, so that you have something new to read this week.   
> Now I have more time again and the next chapter will be longer again.
> 
> \-----------------------------------------S<3D-----------------------------------------------

A few minutes later he was under the covers. The bed felt empty without Danny. He missed his husband. Even more now that he had watched their wedding video again and all the memories it had evoked. Especially the last scene at the reception that Jerry shouldn't have filmed. Steve pushed his pajama bottoms down and wrapped his hand around his cock while he sent his mind down on memory lane.

_They finally had head off towards their hotel in the limousine that came with the wedding night package Danny had booked them. They couldn't keep their hands off each other and were heavily making out. Both were totally aroused when they arrived at the hotel. He couldn't remember how they made it to the bedroom of their suite, but once they were in, their first round of married sex was urgent and fast. Steve was apologetic because he had come that fast, but the blond wrapped him in his arms and told him that it was great and that they still got all night and half of the following day. And after that the rest of their lives. They shared some lazy kisses and drifted off for a while._

_When Steve roused again it was because Danny was gently sucking his cock back to hardness. The SEAL instantly wanted to join in on the fun. He made the blond shift, so they were 69ing. It's something they didn't do that often because it needs a certain amount of concentration on both parts to make it work and not turn into two separate blow jobs upside down. The timing was good since they both had come just a few hours ago. It was always a turn on for Steve to blow Danny and the blond didn't have to do much to get his new husband to the edge. On the other hand, the blond sometimes could get off on the sounds the taller man made during the blow job alone. They were both happy and sated after they came just half a minute apart. After they had caught their breath again, Steve turned to cuddle up with Danny on the foot end of the bed. His mouth was quickly occupied with kissing the blond as they could taste their cum in the mouth of the other._

_The fondest of his wedding night memories had happened in the early hours of the next morning, though. Steve had woken up because Danny had been snoring quite loudly. A look over to the alarm clock had told him that it was shortly after six. He had decided to let his husband sleep some more and had gone to the bathroom for a quick shower. After he had dried off, he came back into the room just with a towel around his waist. The bed was empty. His husband was standing in front of the huge window in just his underpants, facing east. It was half-past seven and it was dawning outside. Soon they would be able to see the first ray of sunshine on the horizon._

_"Hey baby, why are you up so early?" Steve asked the blond._

_"I woke because I could no longer feel you next to me. So, I got up. It's a beautiful view." Danny had turned his head towards Steve and was speaking over his shoulder._

_The SEAL walked over to him. His husband looked stunning. Little Steve between his legs got interested in a nice morning workout._

_"Yeah, it is a beautiful view. But it pales in comparison to you." He wrapped his arms around him._

_"Wow, I had to get married to you to finally find out why they called you smooth dog."_

_"It's only the truth." Steve kissed Danny's neck. "But let's enjoy the view together." He let his towel fall down and pressed his half-hard cock against the blond's ass._

_"In front of the window, you Neanderthal animal?"_

_"We are on the 11th floor, Danny. Nobody can see us. Come on, want you so much." He slid down his husband's boxer briefs._

_"Oh, I can definitely feel that." Danny chuckled when he noticed Steve's hard on rubbing between his now naked butt checks._

_When Steve had manipulated his husband's head so he could kiss him it was on. From there on out it was all about touching, rubbing, nibbling, and kissing everywhere they could reach. The blond had put one hand on the taller man's lower back to pull him closer. His other hand was on the window so he could push back into his husband's crotch. The SEAL was pulling Danny even closer with one hand and used the other to pump the blonds dick. While the sun got higher and higher, so did they. He increased the pace of his rutting as he felt Danny get closer. Danny began thrusting into his hand, making needy noises in the back of his throat. Steve came when the first rays of sunshine hit Danny's chest hair making it look like woven gold. Tiny pearls were added in form of his husband cum a few seconds later._

The SEAL came with his husband's name on his lips after jerking off to that passionate memory. It was a wonderfully intense and intimate moment between them. Fuck, Danny had looked so hot and beautiful. He missed him so much. He wiped his hands down on the sheets and fell asleep thinking about the blonde's handsome face.


	22. Meanwhile at Danny's or Sorry seems to be the hardest word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out how Danny is doing and Steve is still an idiot

Friday night Danny's POV

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there leaned against the wall and crying his heart out. At some point, he looked up and his eyes got caught on a picture of Grace and Charlie. It was enough for his paternal side to take over. He pushed away his feelings regarding Steve and focused on his kids. A look to the clock showed him that it was too late to get to talk with them since at least Charlie should be in bed already and his social butterfly of a daughter was probably still out with friends. About 40 minutes till curfew. But maybe he would get a hold of Rachel. Even if he'd rather undergo root canal treatment than to talk about his marriage problem with his Ex, he needed to inform her what was going on and to forewarn her that Steve would be over the next morning without him. He took out his cell and dialed her number.

To his surprise, she was very understanding and let him get away with his vague explanations about his trip to Montana, Laos, and China and his fallout with Steve after returning home. She promised to let Steve see the kids in the morning and to call him when the SEAL had left so that the blond could come over to see his son and daughter. Maybe she would try to dig for details then.

Still hoping that it wouldn't come to that and that Steve would be on his doorstep next morning to clean the air between them, the detective changed into his sleeping pants and T-shirt and went to bed.

Falling asleep wasn't easy. All his different emotions were spinning around in his head. He was upset that Steve had not even apologized for how he had treated him. Danny was hurt but at the same time, he felt guilty for sending Steve away in his time of need, knowing that his grief would rear his ugly head any minute now that Joe was avenged. A part of him wanted to get up again and drive over to the beach house to check in on Steve. Making sure he was doing okay. To just forget what had happened and to take care of him like always. Another much angrier part of him was screaming at him that he had the right to be mad at Steve and to put his own feelings first for once. Yet another part of him regretted that he went to Montana in the first place. He would still be angry for how the SEAL had left him but at least it would have spared him the taller man's distancing and rejection. He was tossing and turning for hours with all the different voices in his head. Finally, there was a voice that screamed at the others to shut up. What's done is done. Time to catch some shut-eye and start fresh in the morning. And how hilarious was it that the most reasonable voice in his head sounded like Steve?

Saturday Danny's POV

Due to his ongoing inner monologue, the blond slept in and only woke around early noon. He took a shower and then scanned his cell phone. A wave of hurt hit him. There were some messages and missed calls from his colleagues but not from Steve. Danny sighed. Didn't his husband care for him at all? Yeah, sure he had sent him away, but it was meant as a chance for them to calm down. It was definitely not a make it or break it argument. Shit! Now it dawned upon him. Leave it to his emotionally immature SEAL to take this as a possible end to their relationship. Danny blamed Doris and John for that. Nobody, not even Commander Cargopants would be strong enough to grow up without abandonment issues with parents like that.

The blond was thinking about what he should do now when he got a call from Tani. He had seen that she had tried to reach him yesterday while he was talking with Rachel. She had probably been over at the beach house when Steve had arrived. Her messages were all about what had happened with Steve and him. Brilliant! He would take the call and use her as a messenger. He needed to put the SEAL's mind at rest. At the same time, he needed to make it clear that it was up to the dark-haired man to get their communication going again.

After he had ended his call with nosey Tani he went to the kitchen to make some coffee. The machine just started dripping when he got another call. It was Rachel. 

"Good morning Rachel!", he greeted her.

"Morning? It is nearly noon, Danny" she said in an amused tone.

"I know, but I've only been up for about half an hour. Didn't sleep well."

"Yeah… well, as a two-time divorcé I know the feeling. Marriage trouble and all," Rachel said melancholy. 

"What's going on between Steve and me is nothing like what happened with us or with you and Stan. We are definitely not heading towards a divorce," he exclaimed manor of factly. 

"Maybe you should tell Steven that. When I asked him if I had to prepare the kids for another divorce, he seemed very scared and uncertain. I believe he thinks that this is what's going to happen."

Danny sighed. Yeah, that was what he'd been afraid of. He loved Steve, but the SEAL's insecurity regarding their relationship sometimes made it hard to live with him.

"He thinks that because he is an emotional immature idiot that isn't ready to own up to his mistakes and come talk to me like a normal person would do!" The blond detective was totally worked up now.

"If you know him that well, then why don't _you_ talk to _him_? It would save you from a nervous breakdown. Don't think I'm not aware of how much you worry about him and that your heart is craving to take care of him."

"Yeah, I worry and yeah, I want to take care of him after what he went through. Of course, I do. I fucking love him, and I know he needs me. But he hurt me, Rachel. He pushed me away and a part of me is tired of pushing my own feelings aside to cater to his needs. I don't doubt that he loves me too. I just… I wish he would show me some appreciation and sign that he cares about me as much as I care about him. Shit, I'm a mess, Rache." Danny sniveled and felt his eyes getting wet.

"Oh, Daniel… I'm sorry you feel that way. But please, don't doubt that he cares about you and appreciates you."

"My brain knows that, but my heart got deeply shaken by the way he treated me when all I did was to try my best to help him. You know, sometimes sharing pain is itself a form of love. That's what our therapist used to say back in the day." He sighed and remembered how he himself had learned that the hard way after his brother's death. Steve should know better.

"I think you should give him some time. He will come to you when he is ready."

"I hope so."

Her Ex still sounded sad, so she thought it was the best if she gave him something else to focus on.

"Okay, here is what's going to happen. You finish your morning routine and then you come over to pick up the kids. They can't wait to see you. It will be good for you. You just have to be back around half past six. Charlie is invited to a sleepover birthday party and the boy's parents want to pick up their overnight guests around six. I want him to take a shower before I send him over. He is so excited. I bet he will tell you all about it when he sees you."

Listening to Rachel talking about their children put a smile on Danny's face.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Do you have to be back to work again on Monday? Because I was thinking that you could pick up the kids again on Sunday or Monday after school and take them for the whole week."

"Don't know about work yet. I'm avoiding my colleagues at the moment because of the Steve situation, you know, but I'll make it work. I would love to have them over for the next week."

"Mommy, when is Danno coming? I want to tell him about my sleepover and what Uncle Steve, and I are doing for my science project." 

Danny could hear the loud voice of his impatient little boy over the phone. He sighed. Charlie and Steve first connected through their nerdy side while working on his son's last year science project when he was still in hospital after he'd been shot in quarantine. Rachel had to leave the island for a work function and Steve took care of the children. He still came to visit him every day at the hospital and did what he could to try and find the shooter. First, the SEAL had been reluctant because he didn't want to take away that father and son experience from his husband even though Danny hadn't mind. He loved to see Steve interacting with Grace and Charlie. The detective had seen how excited the taller man was. He had understood why it was so important to Steve when his husband had told him that Doris and he had worked on his science projects together when he was a kid. It connected Steve to one of his few happy childhood memories. The blond missed _that_ man. Caring and sharing his feelings. But all the progress of opening up Steve had made over the years seemed to went poof that day he got attacked in the kitchen at the beach house.

"Sounds as if I better hurry up then," Danny said to his Ex.

"Yeah. See you in a few." With that, she ended the call.

When he finally came to pick up Grace and Charlie it was lunchtime, so he decided to drive them to their favorite chicken place. His little boy was so bubbly and talkative that the blond had his problems to get him into the car. His girl had just pulled him into a fierce hug that was worth more than any words. When he got the Camaro on the road with his two favorite people close to him, he already felt a bit better. 

On the way to the chicken place, Charlie was telling him all about his upcoming first sleepover while Grace was complaining that she had to spend a large part of her Friday afternoon in a toy store searching for the perfect present for her brother's friend because Rachel had to work late. Danny knew Grace loved Charlie, but the big age gap sometimes took a toll on both siblings. His daughter deemed herself as to cool to be babysitting her brother and to spend time with him. At the same time, his little boy couldn't understand why his sister spent so much time on her phone and never did something fun like playing Lego with him. 

They finally arrived at KOALA MOA and found a free picnic table. Even after the Camaro theft a few years ago he still insisted on their cellphone free family time. But now they just turned them off instead of leaving them in the car. He was happy that his daughter didn't put up a fuss for once and turned her cell off before he had to ask her to do it.

While they ate it was all about Charlie's science project. The teacher had started to introduce them to chemistry and wants them to explore some easy reactions with household chemicals. His son went on how he recognized that the ocean was salty, but you couldn't see the salt crystals like in the saltshaker at home. One time when he had been at the beach house, they had forgotten to put their swimming trunks directly into the laundry and the next day they were dry, and he had noted tiny salt crystals on his trunks. So he wanted to show that salt can switch from solid to a solution and back again. Steve had told him that it was a great idea and that he would help, but first, the boy should think about a good way to show that to his class. Because as Grace had pointed out at breakfast, he couldn't dip his trunks in seawater and bore his classmates to death by letting them watch it dry for hours and hours. 

"Then mommy put some sugar in her tea, and I remembered the Rock Candy Granny Clara got me when we went to the fair in Jersey last summer. Sugar and salt react the same way, right? Because it is in soda and stuff." Charlie pointed to his cup that contained some sugary beverage.

"To make a long story short, Steve gently pushed him in the right direction and now they will meet up next week to grow some salt crystals," Grace said. Since she was there when her brother had figured it out, she obviously was getting bored with her brother's slow going retelling.

"Gracie! No! I wanted to tell Danno that" the blond boy said clearly upset.

Danny sent a chiding look in her direction.

"You were getting nowhere fast" his sister jibed.

"Shut up, fart face!" Charlie shouted.

"Hey, hey. We don't talk that way with each other, young man. What have I taught you?" Danny asked his son in a strict tone.

"If you can't be kind, then be quiet", the boy mumbled guiltily. 

"That's right. And Grace, it was not nice to steal his thunder so you two will apologize" the blond man prompted his children.

"Sorry, Gracie."

"Sorry, Charlie."

Both said it in that placating tone that kids use when their parents force them to apologize.

"Great, now why don't you bring our plates to the trash so that your brother can finish his story for me?"

His daughter rolled his eyes but did as she was told. 

When she returned her brother, who hadn't lost his excitement, was about to tell their dad about the highlight of his science project.

"And then Uncle Steve said since sugar and salt act the same, I should end my presentation not only with showing my salt crystals but to also hand out Rock Candy since it's not that common here in Hawaii. He said a giveaway will help manifest the scientific process behind it. It is such a cool idea, so we will make our own Rock Candy as well."

"That is really a fantastic idea. I think your science project totally fits the brief and your teacher will see how much thought you put into it. You will do great." He was already proud of his son and of Steve as well because he let Charlie come to that idea by himself only using gentle encouragement and suggesting a nice finishing touch. His husband was such a great co-parent.

"We need to get some flavors and food coloring. Uncle Steve said I could ask Kamekona if he still has some from his old shave ice truck."

"Good thought."

"Hey, the coloring was my idea. I deserve some credits too" Grace tossed in.

"Only after mommy said it would look like diamonds!"

"Yeah- so what? Emeralds, sapphires, and rubies still have a better visual impact."

"Please don't start anything again. I believe Charlie is as grateful for your input as happy as you are for giving it." 

With his kids at peace once again he was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with them. It was spent with a trip to a minigolf course.

Since Charlie didn't take the game seriously and because he still wasn't very good at handling the golf club, the boy took the longest at every hole. It gave Grace some time to talk to Danny about Steve.

"So, how long will Uncle Steve be in the doghouse?"

The detective sighed then he ducked because his son was swinging his golf club around after he had missed the ball yet again. 

"Charlie. Please put the club down. You don't need so much drive. Just gently nudge the ball towards the hole."

"Okay, Danno!"

Danny sighed again but got back to his conversation with Grace.

"He is not in the doghouse, monkey."

"Yeah? And why is he staying at the beach house at the moment and not home with you?"

"Look Danno, the ball went through the stone bow!" The little boy announced that he finally passed the obstacle.

"Good job, buddy. Now you just have to putt!"

While he watched his son trying to finish this hole, he tried again to finish his conversation with Grace.

"Okay, yes. I suggested he should go there, but not as a punishment. I just tried to deescalate the situation. I was getting angry with him because we disagreed how he had handled the whole situation and I didn't want to start a fight."

"And now what? Danno, he told us that he is sorry. Can't you just meet with him and make up?"

"Well, it is complicated, Grace."

"Complicated how?"

"For starters, he hasn't apologized to me yet."

"He hasn't? But why? He clearly feels bad." The girl had thought that her dad just was still too angry. It never crossed her mind that Steve hadn't apologized to his husband.

"Danno! I made it. The ball is in the hole!"

"Well done, Charlie. Now, why don't we step aside and let this nice couple go ahead, huh?" He pulled his son to the side so that the other two players who had waited patiently could finally start the lane. He would let them finish this hole and the next before the kids and he would continue the course.

Charlie had walked over to a knee-high stone wall where he had discovered a little sunbathing lizard. So, the blond focused on his daughter again.

"Your Uncle Steve and I are both very opinionated and stubborn. But while I'm more open about my feelings, Steve… well, he is a bit thickheaded when it comes to putting his feelings into words. Especially if he is wrong."

"But you know that he is like that, so why don't you go to him and make him talk?"

"Oh, monkey! When you are married, you sometimes just want your significant other to put in some afford. And this time your Uncle Steve needs to make the first step."

Grace didn't reply immediately. 

"Charlie, leave the lizard alone. It is not a pet" he called out to the little boy who was trying to catch the tiny animal.

He looked back at his daughter who really seemed to think about what he had said.

"Just promise me that you don't get divorced," she finally said with pleading eyes.

The blond man smiled at her. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple.

"I promise, monkey. Now would you please reign in your brother? I think the couple is almost done with our next hole."

After he had dropped his kids off at Rachel's and had arrived back home, he switched his phone back on. He had two messages – from Grover and Adam, both asking him how they were doing and if Steve was alright because apparently, his stupid husband refused to communicate with them as well. To his surprise, he also had 3 missed calls – all from said husband. He ignored the two messages and dialed his mailbox number to listen to the SEAL's voicemails.

After the annoying preluding notification, Danny pressed the button to listen to the first voicemail.

It was only background noises at first and the blond was about to give up and skip to the second voicemail when he heard Steve's voice.

_"Hi Danny… I…"_

_A deep sigh. More background noise. Then the computer voice informing him of the end of the message._

Wow, how eloquent, the detective thought and rolled his eyes before he called up the second voicemail. There was again the preluding notification and then the recording started again with background noises. But this time the sequence was shorter than before.

_A sigh again._

_"Why does this have to be so hard?"_

_A short pause._

_"I hate leaving voicemails."_

_Another pause. Another sigh._

_"Danny… please…"_

_Computer voice again._

This time Danny chuckled. His husband was almost cute with his stammering. Still, it was frustrating that Steve obviously wasn't able to say those three little words. Even his kids could say `I am sorry´. But hey. He had one more chance. The blond called up the last voicemail.

This time Steve started to talk immediately after the preluding notification.

_"Hey Danny… so, the Governor called. She expects us all to be back at work on Monday."_

_A short pause._

_"Can you call me back? I think we should talk… about work… and … other stuff."_

_End of message._

Was that man for real? He finally got is act together to leave a voicemail that wasn't totally pointless, and he was talking about work?

Danny was about to call Steve back to ask the Neanderthal what was wrong with him but decided against it. That foolishness neither deserved his time nor his energy. The blond looked up to the ceiling and pressed his hands together as if he was silently praying.

_Dear god, why did you make me fall in love with this clueless, emotionally immature idiot? Why did you make him a gun-blazing maniac who doesn't care about any rules and is also a trouble magnet? And why did you make him almost too selfless, loyal, and forgiving? Why did you give him this heart of gold and those gorgeous features that the overall package makes him plainly irresistible? And why did you make us sexual compatible so perfectly that I'm longing for him even when I'm angry at him just because I heard his stupid voice saying my name?_

The blond dropped himself on the couch. It was true. They were so damn good in bed together. No one else came close. They instinctively knew what the other needed and wanted at the moment. His mind went back to that one evening during the heatwave last year…

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get yourself a cold drink for next week's chapter because we get explicit...


	23. Favorite Toy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I hope you are all set up with some cool drinks.  
> I let you decide if you need it because of the hot weather or my little smutty chapter.
> 
> \-------------------------------------S<3D----------------------------------------------

His mind went back to that one evening during the heatwave last year…

_"Man, when will this heatwave be finally over? I don't know how much longer I can last before I stroke out because my brain melted." Danny flopped down on the bed naked. He just had showered and didn't bother to re-dress as he already was on the brink of sweating again anyway._

_It was all Steve's fault. His cheapskate of a husband thought it was a waste of energy and money to leave the air conditioner on when they weren't home, and that it wouldn't get that hot anyway after it was on the whole night. Normally that wasn't a problem because Danny was able to switch it back on before they left the house without Steve noticing and making him believe he was right when they came back home, and it was nice and cool inside. But they were running late that morning, so the blond had forgotten to do it. When they had come home from work that evening, they had a heated argument about it as an appetizer before dinner. An argument that he actually won because his crazy SEAL admitted that they maybe should leave it on while the heatwave went on._

_The detective turned his head to look at his husband next to him who was only wearing shorts and had just put his water glass, that had probably more ice cubes in it than water, down on his nightstand._

_"Great. You lying there like the sexy, tanned Adonis that you are is not helping. It just makes me horny, but I'm way to strung out by this damn heat to do anything about it" the blond complained._

_"Why didn't you say something earlier? We could have showered together, land each other a hand", Steve said, leaning to the side and lazily let his hand wander down his husband's chest. The SEAL had opted to shower before dinner while Danny thought it was best to do it afterward._

_"Even shower sex would have been to straining" Danny pouted._

_"Hm, how about you let me do all the work? I really want to give you some kind of relief even if I can't cool it down faster for you." Steve slid closer and rubbed his nose against Danny's cheek while his fingers found one of the detective's nipples and squeezed it gently._

_"Ungh… wha… what do you have in mind?" he asked, obviously aroused by what the taller man had done so far._

_"What if I would give you a little show? Opening myself up for the vibrator…"_

_"Guh…nhm…" Danny moaned at the thought._

_"Then I'll start to blow you just how you like it while I guide the vibe to where I want it and keep it there to tease me until we are both ready to burst. You just lay back and enjoy the show. Let me make you feel good, sound good?" Steve seductively described what he intended to do and started to suckle at Danny's neck, making him gasp. His cock was already on board with the dark-haired man's idea._

_"Shit, Steve. You dirty, little devil. Get on to it right fucking now!" The blond demanded loudly. Thank god the kids were with Rachel at the moment._

_"Can't believe how bossy you still are even though I just offered myself to you on a silver platter." Steve chuckled, lifted his head, and pressed his lips against Danny's to prevent a snarky reply._

_They shared some heated kisses before the SEAL decided it was time to start the show. He opened the nightstand drawer and grabbed the bottle of lube. After that, he gracefully slipped out of his shorts. He gave Danny one last short peck on his open, gaping mouth before he turned around on the bed so that he was straddling the detective's lower legs and facing the door. Sensually slow he let his hands roam along his flanks down to his powerful thighs. Finally, he reached his butt cheeks and pulled them apart. Then he leaned forward and spread his legs so that his hole was visible to Danny._

_"You are so beautiful, babe" the blond exclaimed clearly enjoying the view._

_Steve turned his head to look over his shoulder. While he kept himself open with on hand, he raised the other back up to his mouth and dipped his index finger into the warm, wet cavern. He left his mouth open to show his husband how his tongue circled around his digit. Making it wet with saliva._

_Danny looked at him with blown pupils. His heart was beating faster. Dear lord, his husband was pure sin. It was as if he had his own little live porn right in front of him._

_Steve now slowly ran his fingers between his buttocks. Danny gasped when his husband's finger first stroked his entrance. Then the taller man let go of his butt briefly and picked up the lube. He pressed some of it into his hand and coated his fingers with it. Then he gently circled his middle finger around his opening. Teasingly slow he slid the digit inside him._

_"Go on, put that long thick finger to good use. Show me how you like it" the blond requested._

_Steve moaned encouraged by his husband's words and let his finger slide deeper into his ass. The longer his fingers stayed there, the lower got the resistance. It only took him a few seconds to find his prostate and he expressed a pleasurable grunt._

_"So sexy, babe. Take another one. Prep yourself for your toy..." the New Jersey native's downstairs brain already regretted telling Steve that he felt too worn out by the heat to move. His cock would love to get into that tight ass._

_Sadly, even though they were both switches they did it that way around not that often. Because of the height difference, there were just a few positions that worked for him being the top. They had tried them all but most of them were far from perfect for the way they liked to have sex. Doggy style could get too much for his bad knee when one of them needed a good, long fuck, plus they weren't able to kiss. Steve nearly dislocated his neck that one time he tried to bend his head far enough to make kissing work. All it got him was a session at the chiropractor practice. Even when doing it missionary style kissing was tricky. What they enjoyed was Steve riding him and a position they found while experimenting. Something between spooning, reverse cowboy and scissoring. It got them entangled like some kind of pretzel and it took a lot of work. It was really not suitable if they were in the mood for a quickie or if something came up at work and they needed to rush their orgasm._

_Yeah, okay. While his downstairs brain wanted in on the action his upper brain knew he wouldn't be able to participate today in a way that would thoroughly satisfy all of Steve's needs when it came to them having proper sex. If he tried, he would probably suffer from a heat stroke._

_In the meantime, Steve had inserted a second finger and his two longest digits were now knuckle deep in his puckered hole._

_"Nagh, Danny" the dark-haired man moaned when he hit his prostate._

_"You wish it was me, don't you?" The blond knew that his once so quiet SEAL loved their dirty talk by now._

_"Mhm… yeah. I love your fingers, your tongue, and your dick in my ass. But today just relax and let me take care of you" Steve said and continued to stretch himself a little faster than before, but always making sure that it was a good show for Danny and keeping eye contact. The third finger followed. When he found his anus stretched enough, he pulled his fingers back._

_"Hand me the vibe?"_

_"Gotcha" Danny leaned forward to give Steve the vibrator he had pulled out of the nightstand drawer. Steve winked at Danny with an alluring smile._

_"Push it in slowly, babe. Play with your hole. Wanna watch you take it inch for inch before you turn it on."_

_Steve did as he was asked._

_Danny enjoyed the view. The delicious curve of Steve's back arched as the toy slid deeper into the dark-haired man's body._

_"So fucking perfect with your gorgeous body on display just for me. Does it feel good?"_

_"Mhm..." was the SEAL's only response._

_"It's fully in now. Make sure it is hitting your prostate just right before you turn it on. And don't cheat. I want you to feel it while you pleasure me with that talented hot mouth of yours."_

_Steve turned his body so that he was kneeling a bit more lateral to Danny. That way the blond could see part of his face as well as the bottom of the vibrator and his erect cock. Then he switched the vibe on. He had enough experience with it by now to know which level to use to tease himself and still be able to concentrate on other sexual tasks as they used it from time to time while Danny was riding or blowing him. He cried out in passion when he felt the vibrations running through his lower body._

_"God, Steve. You know how to spoil me. Look at you. Your ass is taking the vibe so beautifully and your tip is glistening with precum. But you need more, right? Want me to feed you my dick now?"_

_"Shit, Danny" Steve cursed. „If you don't dial the dirty talk down a notch this will be over for me before I'll even get the chance to put my mouth on you. You know how much it turns me on."_

_"Oh, we can't have that. I promise to behave. Now, why don't you come over here to play with me, or am I not your favorite toy anymore?" Danny said in a teasing tone._

_"Don't be silly. You'll always be my favorite ughh… toy". The SEAL promised. While he crawled up the bed the vibrator slightly shifted and hit his prostate spot on, sending a wave of pleasure through his body. When Steve was next to Danny he leaned over and kissed him passionately._

_They exchanged hot kisses for a few minutes before oxygenation became inevitable. He also took Danny's cock in his hand and slowly moved it up and down._

_"Nhm… what's the verdict, babe? Is my joystick ready to play?" the blond asked. His question was so cheesy even to his own ears that both men snorted amused by the words._

_"Just lay back and let me do my thing, will you?"_

_"Go to town, babe. I'm all yours."_

_"Damn right you are, baby." Steve joined his lips with Danny's again and they kissed some more. It partially worked as a distraction. While he allowed the blond to ask his tongue to slow dance with his own, his hand searched for the water glass and picked up an ice cube. Then he stopped the kiss so he could put it in his mouth._

_"What are you doing?" Danny wanted to know. Then he suddenly felt cold lips on his. Steve was kissing him. He opened his mouth and pushed his tongue against Danny's lips to share the ice with him. The blonde was surprised but eager to respond. Their tongues licked and played around the ice cube. There was something sensual about the interaction of the cold of the ice and the warmth of their tongues and mouths. The ice melted, but their kiss continued. Steve's tongue dominated the smaller man's mouth and he touched all the sensitive areas in his oral cavity that the SEAL knew would stimulate and make the blonde moan. And Danny didn't disappoint. He groaned into their kiss and pressed his body against his._

_Danny noticed that blood was being pumped into his lower extremities and his brain was slowly losing control to his dick. Finally, Steve released his lips and spread small, cold kisses on the cheeks of his husband and his chin._

_"Mhm… that felt really nice. Only you would be able to cool me off while turning me on at the same time" Danny praised his partner's brilliant idea._

_"Yeah? Good. Because I'm just getting started."_

_Steve took another ice cube and placed it between his lips. He drove it along the hollow of Danny's throat and then to the right till he reached his collarbone. The blond trembled under him at the cool sensation on his heated skin. It made his nipples harden._

_It wasn't long before Steve got yet another ice cube and let it swirl around the stiff nub before he licked away the melted water and sucked on Danny's right nipple._

_"God, what are you doing to me, babe?" Danny whimpered. He pushed his chest against Steve's willing mouth. The SEAL switched to the left nipple and played around it with his tongue and the ice cube until it had melted._

_"It's called ice play and I thought it was just what you needed today. Want me to continue?"_

_"Oh babe, you always treat me so well. Yes, please continue. I love your mouth on me so much and the ice is doing the trick."_

_The taller man gave him a cheeky grin and grabbed a new ice cube. He let it slide down Danny's chest and abdomen till it reached the blonde's belly button. Then he let his tongue follow the trail of melted water. His husband moaned loudly and demanded more._

_Steve took the remaining ice cube between his lips and slid it along the detective's treasure trail._

_"Kiss me again," the smaller man begged. The dark-haired man obliged. The change in position made the vibe hit Steve's prostate again and he moaned into his husband's mouth. However, the taller man didn't let the kiss linger because he had something else in mind for which he needed his mouth._

_His tongue made its way down between Danny's costal arches again, while his right hand wandered to the blonde's crotch. The shorter man gasped in surprise and squeezed his eyes shut when he felt Steve's hand folding around his manhood._

_While the SEAL continued licking and kissing down his body, he started to stroke up and down his husband's shaft, lubing him up with his own pre-come that had started to leak from his tip._

_Steve's tongue had reached the patch of skin right before Danny's pubic hair._

_"Mhm… please suck me, Steve. Need your mouth on me so bad!"_

_"Shush… I'll get to it soon enough. Just let me enjoy teasing you a while longer. There are still some ice cubes left. I'll make it worth your while."_

_Danny whimpered and the SEAL took it as an agreement. The Commander gently stroked the inside of his thighs with another ice cube. Steve's kisses followed the damp trail along Danny's loins._

_The detective shuddered with desire as the taller man took his penis back in his hand and finally gently licked around the crown. Since Danny had just taken a shower, the SEAL first sensed the taste of the citrus shower gel before moving on to something that clearly tasted like his husband._

_"Yes, yes! Oh God, Steve!" Danny was holding on to the sheets so as not to lose control immediately. He groaned in pleasure and thrust his hips towards the SEAL._

_Steve gripped the detective's hips with both hands and pressed them back against the mattress. He was looking forward to giving Danny joy and pleasure. He looked up at his husband, who looked down at him with glassy eyes._

_"Go on babe," Danny begged._

_And Steve did just that. But only after he put another ice cube in his mouth._

_"Come on, come on…"_

_Steve didn't need to be told twice because he was already busy getting his mouth around Danny's crown again and taking him halfway, clamping his lips around the heated flesh and sucking hard. It was an indescribably arousing feeling having Danny's throbbing erection in his mouth as he sucked him._

_The blonde ran his hand through Steve's short hair and urged him to take him in deeper._

_Danny's brain finally went idle because of the excitement of the damp heat and the ice in Steve's sensual mouth made him completely insane. His hips now moved in rhythm with the larger man's mouth._

_The SEAL ran his tongue over the underside of Danny's erection and groaned as another spurt of precum hit his taste buds. He loved Danny's taste._

_The vibrations caused the blonde's cock to set free even more precum._

_"God, babe! I love you. Don't stop." It was just wonderful to feel Steve like this._

_At that the dark-haired man mouthed the sides of his husband's dick, flicking the tip of his tongue over the underside again._

_"Mhm…Steve…"._

_When he was coming back up for air, he took another ice cube from the glass. Then the SEAL took the blond down to the root, swallowing around the base._

_"Nh… mhm…" Danny threw his head back._

_The taller man let his tongue circle a little faster as he licked and sucked at Danny's hardness._

_"More, need more, fuck, please…"_

_Steve tucked his hands underneath his husband's ass and deepthroated him in long, slow pulls._

_"Mhm… yes, yes, suck me harder, babe. So close. Want my cum?"_

_The taller man groaned. He couldn't wait for his treat. He reached behind him to switch the vibrator to a higher level, so he would be able to follow his husband over the edge more quickly._

_Knowing Danny was not far from shooting like a rocket, Steve drew back to the crown, tightened his lips, and bobbed his head in quick succession until the detective was coming hot down his throat._

_"God…nhm…shit…yeah, swallow my load. So good for me, my hungry little cum slut." Sometimes Danny's orgasms could be so overwhelming that his dirty talk got downright filthy. The first time that had happened he had apologized to Steve, afraid he had said something insulting. The SEAL admitted that it had made him come harder than ever before. He wouldn't mind it if it would happen again as long as those sex slurred pet names never leave their home. The blond had declared that their sex-life was sacred to him and that he would never talk about what happened between their sheets to anybody but him._

_Since it was a big shot, Steve had some problems to swallow it all at once. Part of Danny's semen escaped from his mouth and ran down the corner of his mouth. But he kept suckling, determined to swallow every last drop. While he happily slurped on his husband's cock, he slightly clenched his hole around the vibe. Yeah, he was getting close. Danny's dirty talk got him right in his zone. It was as if he was floating._

_Only after the SEAL was sure he got everything Danny had to give did he release the slowly softening penis from his mouth. He ran his fingers over his chin and the corner of his mouth to catch the escaped sperm, then he licked his fingers. The blonde's eyes were on him the whole time._

_"Fuck, you are so freaking hot, babe. Come here and let me have a taste."_

_The taller man licked his lips and came out of his kneeling position. He sat on Danny's thighs and then kissed his husband slowly and devotedly. He offered his tongue to the detective so that he could taste himself._

_After they had shared all of Danny's come between them during wet, sticky open-mouthed kisses, the blond felt Steve's rock hard dick poking his abs._

_"Mhm… babe. Your big, gorgeous cock is still standing proud and ready. I bet you're close. Tell me, Steve, how and where do you want to come?" Danny asked and lovingly stroked his husband's cheek._

_"Touch me, please Danny. Make me come. Wanna shoot all over you," the taller man keened._

_"Everything you want, handsome. But first, pull the vibe out. You've teased yourself long enough. You put on a very sexy show for me. You got me all hot and bothered."_

_Steve did what the blond asked of him and whimpered when the toy slid out of his hole._

_The detective sat up and leaned against the headboard. He pulled the SEAL closer and wrapped his left arm around his waist to steady him and his right hand around his husband's smooth, slick cock. The head was heavily leaking precum._

_"You're so wet. All for me. Your mine. I'm the only one who can have you like this" the smaller man whispered into Steve's ear and started to pump his SEAL's dick just like he knew he needed it._

_"Yours, only ever be yours" the dark-haired man murmured against his husband's neck where he had buried his face. He was breathing heavily and felt his orgasm getting closer with every movement of Danny's hand._

_"Yeah, that's right. Now come for me, babe. Mark me with your cum."_

_The SEAL felt how his levee broke and he erupted all over Danny's golden furred chest._

_"Mhm… Danny…fuck…"_

_The blond held his trembling husband until he came down from his high. He loved Steve after an intense orgasm. So open and vulnerable. Letting himself fall and trusting that Danny would catch him._

_"Sorry I made you sweaty again, Danny" the SEAL mumbled while he kept nuzzling the detective's neck and inhaling the alluring scent of his husband._

_"Don't worry, babe. It's the good kind of sweat. Nevertheless, let's take a quick shower together, and hopefully, the air conditioner will have cooled down our house to a temperature below Sahara level by then." He wiggled a little to indicate that he was about to get up. Steve sighed and let go of him. The smaller man kissed his sweaty forehead and got out of bed._

_"You know, Danny… it actually can get really cold in the Sahara at night" the taller man said when his husband lent him a hand to pull him up._

_The blond rolled his eyes at that. It figured that his Super SEAL needed to be an annoying know-it-all even in post-coital bliss. Still holding the dark-haired man's hand, he dragged him towards the bathroom._

_"I'm serious! Ever heard of snow in the Sahara?"_

_"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Come on, babe. Time to clean up."_

Danny sighed. Even thinking about it had him all hot and bothered. It was definitely time for a shower and a nice jerk-off session.

After his `me-time´ in the shower, Danny made himself a sandwich and plopped down on his couch again. He turned on the tv and did some channel surfing until he found a highlight show of last week's football games. After that was over, he caught up on his fantasy football team. Then it was time to turn the tv back on because he knew that a hockey game was on. The whole evening he hoped his husband would get his act together and come over to talk. But Steve seemed to be too chickenshit and stubborn to face the music. That had to be the reason because the alternative – that the SEAL simply didn't care anymore - was unthinkable. When the taller man still hadn't shown up when the hockey game was over, Danny decided to try and catch up on sleep and to go to bed early. He just had a couple of hours of sleep when he was woken up by someone knocking on his door…


	24. In my darkest hour, you're by my side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I like to thank all my readers and commenters. It makes me happy to know that you like my story.  
> Those who didn't leave a comment so far, don't be shy.  
> About my last chapter: I noticed some of my regulars didn't leave a comment. So, is explicit not your thing, or was it that bad? 
> 
> Anyway... this chapter starts my version of what happened in 9x12. I made some changes here and there to make it fit my story. I hope you'll like it.
> 
> \------------------------------------------------S<3D--------------------------------------

What started with Rachel standing on his doorstep when he was hoping it would be Steve turned out to be a nightmare coming true.

"Hi. Look, I'm sorry. I know I should have called, but I-I was in a panic, so I just jumped in the car and came straight here."

His ex-wife sounded so upset and worried that Danny's heart sank to his boots. There was not much that could cause such an uproar in her. She was a pretty calm person except when it came to their children. But that couldn't be. Grace and Charlie should be safe and sound asleep in their beds at this time of night. And yet their mother was standing here in front of him looking panicked. The last time he had seen her that way was when Grace had been kidnapped. No, he couldn't go there. No reason to expect the worst. He needed to keep it cool. Get more information out of Rachel.

"Okay, come on, come on. Come in. What are you talking about? What's the matter? What's going on?" He asked hoping that against all odds it had nothing to do with his kids. 

"Uh, it-it's Grace. She didn't come home." Her pleading eyes asking him to tell her their daughter was here hope against hope.

"Come home from where?" When he was with his kids yesterday afternoon his daughter hadn't told him about any evening plans. He only remembered Charlie telling him about his sleepover at his friend's house. At least he didn't have to worry about his son's whereabouts.

"She drove to a party, but she knows her curfew is midnight. I woke up at 2:00, and she wasn't back. And I have been trying her phone, but she won't answer."

The blood in Danny's veins turned to ice. This couldn't be happening. Shit. Rachel was already in panic mode, so again it was up to him to be the calm and tough one when everything he wanted was to curl up in Steve's arms. Let his husband comfort him and tell him not to worry because everything would be alright. A part of his mind was fuming because his stupid stubborn SEAL-husband had put him in this terrible situation. Now he had to face his biggest fear without his partner next to him.

"Okay. Okay. Um, look. L-Let's just calm down. Everything's fine, I'm sure, but I'm just gonna have HPD run a trace on her phone, put a BOLO out on her car. You got your plate number in your head, by any chance?"

"No, she wasn't driving my car," Rachel replied sheepishly.

"Well, whose car was she driving?" He was dreading the answer while he dialed the number for the HPD.

"Stan bought Grace a car two weeks ago. It doesn't have plates yet."

Of-fucking-course, Mr. Money-can-buy-love had to buy his baby girl her first car. He felt like he did over nine years ago with the Mr. Hoppy fiasco. _Keep your calm, Williams. Now is not the time for outrage. Focus on finding Grace!_

"I see. Hang on. Okay." The phone beeped and Danny got connected to an operator.

"Hey. Yeah, this is Detective Williams. I need you to run a trace on a phone for me, please." 

A few minutes later they had the co-ordinations to Grace's phone and were on their way in the Camaro. The mood was tense during the drive. Danny didn't know how long they had followed the GPS when they finally reach their destination - a remote street two miles of the freeway in the middle of nowhere.

"Danny, what would she be doing out here?" Rachel wondered. The blond was about to answer her that he didn't know when they saw it.

A police car, an ambulance, and a fire truck - all with flashing blue lights, clearly highlighting an accident scene.

"Oh, my God, Danny. Oh, no, Grace. Oh, no. Danny." His ex-wife was voicing what the detective was feeling. Both parents exited the car and were rushing over to the first responders. A patrol officer noticed them and walk towards them to stop them while they loaded an injured person into the ambulance.

"Is my daughter in there?" Danny asked the cop. Rachel kept on screaming their daughter's name.

"Yeah, it's her" the patrol officer confirmed his worst mental picture. 

"How bad is it, man? Come on! Come on, how bad is it?" He asked but the cop couldn't offer any details.

Danny tried to hold himself together as best as he could while he guided a hysterical Rachel back to the Camaro. 

"Rachel! Come on, we're going to the hospital."

While he followed the ambulance, he tried to calm his Ex down. Rachel was crying and mumbling Grace's name over and over again. She was on the brink of hyperventilating.

"Rachel…" 

"Oh, Gracie…"

"Rachel, please…"

"Oh god, Gracie…"

"Rachel listen to me…" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. Thank god, it got her to focus.

"Danny… our baby…Gracie…"

"I know Rachel. I'm worried as hell, too, but I have to keep my eyes on the road so, I need you to do something for me." 

"Danny…?" She looked at him with tear-stained eyes wondering what he could possibly want.

"Call Steve and tell him what happened and that we are on the way to the Wahiawa General. Can you do that for me? Huh?" No matter how strained their relationship was at the moment, he needed his husband.

"Yeah…yes…of course…" She took her cellphone and searched for the Commander's number.

Steve was dreaming about sitting on the lanai with Danny while they watched Grace helping Charlie building a sandcastle when his ringing phone woke him up and his world was about to be ripped apart for a second time in one month. His still sleepy mind hadn't recognized the caller when he answered his phone with a grumbled "McGarrett…"

"Oh my god, Commander… Steve…"

"Rachel?" He set up in his bed and was on high alert on instant. 

"Steve…Grace…we…she…"

"Rachel, calm down. What's going on? Has something happened to Grace?" He felt a barely known shiver of fear crawl up his spine.

"Grace…she…oh god, …she was in a car accident" Rachel sobbed despairingly.

The SEAL nearly dropped his phone at that. This couldn't be happening. Not Grace. Not Danny's beloved monkey. Not his Gracie. He just hugged her goodbye yesterday. _Keep it together. McGarrett! Your family needs you!_ His SEAL training kicked in.

"Where are you? Is Danny with you?"

"We are on the way to Wahiawa General…" Another heartbreaking sob.

"Okay…I'm on my way. I'll meet you there."

Steve couldn't remember the last time he got dressed that quickly. His mind was laser-focused on getting to his family. On his way out he met Junior in the hallway. The younger SEAL was woken up by the noise his housemate had made while getting ready.

"What's going on, Commander? Why are you up?"

"Listen, Junior. Grace had a car accident. I'm going to the hospital."

"Shit! What can I do?"

"Nothing at the moment, but I let you know as soon as I know more."

"Okay… drive carefully, Steve."

The taller man made the estimated 35-minute drive in under 20. On his way, he had gotten a message from Danny who let him know that he could find them in the OR waiting area.

After he had parked his truck, he practically ran into the hospital and towards the elevators. A quick scan of the floorplan told him to which floor he needed to go. He punched the button and cursed the elevator for his slow speed. When he finally exited the elevator, he immediately looked for his short, blond husband. As soon as he caught his eye, he walked towards him. Danny had noticed him as well and came his way. They met halfway and Steve pulled the detective into a long and heartfelt bear-hug. The SEAL tried his best to communicate his love, comfort, and support through that hug. At the same time, he tried to push away the feeling of happiness about having his husband in his arms since it was wrong and inappropriate right now.

Danny instantly felt calmer and less lost as soon as the taller man's arms wrapped around him. He sighed and inhaled the familiar, soothing scent of his husband while he melted into this full-body embrace. This was how _his_ Steve normally hugged him. It was so far away from the strange hug back in Montana. 

The blond held on to the SEAL for a while, desperately needing this kind of comfort. He was glad that the dark-haired man was here.

"Hey… You all right? What's going on?" Steve asked him while tenderly rubbing the smaller man's back. 

Danny slowly, yet reluctantly let go of Steve to answer his question.

"Uh, she's, uh, she's in critical condition. And there was another kid in the car, and she's pretty bad off, too, so it's not good, Steve."

The SEAL noticed Rachel and walked towards her to hug her as well. 

"All right, all right. Rachel. Hi. You okay? Who's the other kid?"

„We're not... we're not sure. I mean, she's a new girl in Grace's class, but, I mean, they were at a party. Maybe Grace was giving her a ride home. We just... we don't even know anything."

At that moment an angry man, the father of the other girl confronted them and accused Grace of being at fault for the accident. Steve stepped in to calm the situation.

"Okay. Excuse me. Sir, we're very sorry about your daughter, but this is not the time or the place."

But Katie's dad was beyond reasoning. He just wanted someone he could blame for this.

"Did you even bother to teach her how to drive?" 

"Okay, that's enough." Now Danny was riled up.

"Or does Cop Dad just bail her out every time she drives home drunk from a party?"

"Okay. All right." Steve tried his best to keep both fathers at bay. But Katie's dad just couldn't drop it. He kept on provoking Danny.

"God help you if Katie dies."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Oh, or what?"

Thank god that at that moment Duke and a few other cops appeared. Steve ordered the patrol cops to take Katie's father downstairs so that he could calm down. He turned back to Rachel and his husband. Both were clearly shaken by that encounter. He wanted to step closer, but Duke caught his attention. The older cop had a serious expression on his face.

"Steve."

"What?"

"HPD's opened an investigation."

"Into what?"

"They had no choice. The damage to Grace's car suggests she was going almost double the speed limit."

"What are you talking about?"

"They have to follow protocol. A tox screen's been ordered, and vehicle homicide's coming in to do an assessment."

"VHS? We're talking about Grace Williams. You know this girl. It's not her. Something's wrong here."

"I'm sorry, Steve."

He hated to have to face the worried parents with what had been set in motion regarding the investigation. Rachel was just shocked. She was still sitting on the chair silently sobbing. Danny on the other hand was furious. He was pacing the flor up and down cursing the stupid police protocol. Steve watched him for a while but then he stepped up to him and pulled the blond into another soothing embrace.

"Danny. Calm down. You need to focus on Grace right now. I promise you that I will find out what really happened" he whispered into his husband's ear and tenderly stroked his short hair.

"I can't lose her, Steve." He sounded so scared.

"Shush… don't think like that. The doctors do their best. Our girl will make it." He soothingly kissed Danny's temple.

Steve hold his husband in his arms for a while before he guided the blond back over to his Ex.

"I'll get us some coffee, okay?" The SEAL offered.

"Yeah, okay," Danny said and set down next to Rachel.

When Steve returned with three cups of coffee a nurse was with Danny and Rachel.

"Any news?" He asked hopefully.

The detective got up from his chair and walked over to him.

"No. She just needs some information about insurance stuff and wants to know if Grace is allergic to any medication," the blond man answered and gratefully took one of the cups.

"She will pull through" Steve reassured his husband. He took Danny's free hand in his and gently squeezed it. The blond looked up to him and while there was still mostly worry in his eyes there was also a tiny little sliver of affection towards him. It was enough to give Steve the strength to keep it together for the man he loved.

When the nurse was gone Steve handed Rachel her cup of coffee. 

"She couldn't tell me how long we will have to wait, but a doctor will come out to us as soon as there's an update," she told Danny and Steve.

"Okay. So we will be here for a while. Why don't we go sit inside this bit more comfortable waiting room," the dark-haired man suggested.

By sunrise, there was still no news. The SEAL felt useless and decided that Rachel and Danny could hold themselves together and that he would do them more good out there, trying to figure out what happened. So, he got off the couch.

"Danny, if you don't mind, I will gather the team and head to HQ. We will look into the accident report Duke has so far. Grace is not responsible, and I will find out exactly what happened."

The blond gave him a sad and tired smile. At the same time, Steve could also see the trust in his husband's eyes. For the moment, their troubles seemed forgotten.

"I know you will solve the case, babe."

The SEAL nearly melted at hearing Danny calling him babe. He grabbed the blonde's left hand and Rachel's right.

"Keep your heads up. I will come back as soon as possible. I will get whoever is responsible. I promise."

"Thank you, Steven" Danny's Ex said and sighed.

"We will keep you posted on Grace's progress," the detective promised. He wasn't mad that Steve was going to leave them. He knew his husband had the need to make himself useful and since he wasn't a doctor, finding out what caused the accident was the next best thing. It was important for them and Danny was grateful for that. A part of himself wanted to follow and help Steve, but he couldn't leave Rachel all alone here. So he let his husband go.


	25. The waiting game

Steve was gone for maybe ten minutes when finally a doctor came to talk to them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Williams?" A young female doctor approached them. 

"Hey. What's going on?" Danny wanted to know. He didn't have the energy to correct her on the Mr. and Mrs. part.

"The good news is there's no damage to Grace's internal organs. But she does have a depressed skull fracture, which we need to operate on as soon as possible" she informed the parents.

Danny sighed before he started to dig for details.

"All right. What exactly does that mean?"

"It means the injury to her skull is putting pressure on her brain. We're calling in a neurosurgeon and a surgical team, but we won't know the extent of the damage until we get in there."

Rachel grabbed his arm and let her Ex continue the questioning.

"All right, well, what... So, when do we know? So, how long does that take?"

"It could be a while. Did you get a pager from the nurses' station?"

"Yeah. This-this thing here?"

"Wherever you are in the hospital, that pager will go off as soon as we have an update for you."

"Yeah, I've ordered a cheeseburger before" the blond replied flippantly.

Rachel chided the blond before she thanked the doctor.

"Hang in there. We'll see you guys soon." With that, the doctor left again.

Danny set down and let the doctor's words sink in. Oh god, his daughter needed brain surgery. Rachel set down in the armchair across of him. For a moment they were silent. After a deep sigh, the detective's Ex thought it would be best if she distracted the blond with a discussion about Ex-Step-Stan buying Grace a car. But only a few words in she regretted her idea. It only had led to an ugly argument that re-opened old wounds and ended with Danny leaving the room to get some more coffee.

While he waited for the coffee vendor to fill up his cup, the blond he took out his cellphone and called Steve. After the doctor telling them Grace would be all right, it was the only voice he wanted to hear right now.

The SEAL had changed into suitable work gear and had picked up Grover. Fortunately, the Chicago native didn't try to pry for info about what went on with Danny and him. Now they were on the way to the accident scene where they would meet up with Junior. Tani had to help out her brother. His phone rang and he took the incoming call from his husband.

"Hey, Danny! Any news on Grace?"

"We got, uh... no news. Uh, they only just started operating. So actually there is some news: the tox screen came back negative." Danny sounded relieved.

"Yeah, of course, it did-- it's Gracie we're talking about here."

Danny sighed frustrated. He hated waiting and a part of him wanted Steve to be here with him or to be out there with Steve. Anything that would put his mind on something else so he wouldn't have to think about the worst-case scenario.

"Listen, uh... we're almost at the scene, but I'm gonna hit you back as soon as we got something, okay?" 

"All right. Thanks, buddy." Danny ended the call.

When the detective returned to waiting area flor, he could see a tall, muscular middle-aged man with longish dirty blond hair talking to Rachel in the waiting room. They hugged shortly before the man left the room. He was already in the elevator before Danny reached the room.

"Danno!" Little Charlie shouted when he saw his father coming through the door.

"Hey, Buddy! How was your sleep-over?" 

"It was fun, but then Mrs. Rogers told me at breakfast that Gracie had an accident. Will she be alright?" The blond child looked up to his parents with worried eyes.

The parents shared a glance at each other. What do you tell a seven-year-old in a situation like this? Rachel looked at Danny like a deer caught in a headlight. The blond man sighed. Great. Of course, she would leave it to him to talk to their son. Danny sighed and kneeled down so that he was on eye level with the little boy.

"The doctors here are the best. They will make Grace feel better again. It just will take a while."

"Like when I had the flu?"

"Yeah, a bit like that. So we have to wait until we can see her. Hey, why don't you draw her a picture?" Danny suggested and pointed to a little play area in the corner of the room that also had a table with paper and crayons. 

"I will draw the big ice cream cake Jason had for his birthday! Gracie loves ice cream cake." 

"That's a fantastic idea."

Danny's gaze followed his son walking over to the table in the corner before he focused on his Ex.

"Uh… so, who was this Mr. Thunder from Down Under who I saw hugging you?" he asked her curiously. 

She snorted at the striper reference.

"That was just the dad of Charlie's friend Owen. You remember, Charlie and I went on a bike tour with them when you were on college tour with Grace."

"Ah, so it was him you were texting earlier."

"Among others, yes, Daniel. I texted Mrs. Rogers about what happened and then I asked Owen's dad to pick Charlie up since both boys were at the party and he had to pick up his son early anyway before he had to go to work."

"Aha. Yeah. I remember. Didn't know that you two are on hugging terms, though."

"I noticed that you and the Commander were on hugging terms again as well" she elegantly changed the subject. A clever way to dodge the bullet.

"I told you we wouldn't get a divorce, so please don't act so surprised that I hugged him. We are adults and we can put our problem aside and focus on supporting each other throughout a crisis."

"See! I told you he cares about you. He was right there when you needed him."

"Well, it doesn't solve anything. Because what if this would have happened a few weeks earlier? I would be sitting here alone worrying my ass off with no way to get in contact with him. I know he cares about our family, but his whole avenging trip got me thinking and I'm starting to wonder how reliable he really is. Can I count on him to be there whenever I need him?"

"Danny, don't focus on the `What if?´, okay? He is here now and that is what counts."

The detective sighed.

"Let's just talk about something else, all right?"

"Okay. Well, I think it will get boring for Charlie soon. Unfortunately, his usual babysitter is out of town for the weekend."

"Hm… I think I know who we could ask."

Noelani had picked up Charlie for a day of ice cream and Lego nearly an hour later. Just a few minutes after Kamekona and Flippa had arrived with some food. According to Kamekona, Steve had given them a call and Danny appreciated his husband for that, even though neither he nor Rachel were really hungry. 

The SEAL had even been so thoughtful to ask the big guys to bring them some necessaries – like toothbrushes and toothpaste. He must have told them where their spare key was hidden because they had also brought some clothes for Grace's stay at the hospital from home as well as Steve's old and battered Navy sweatshirt for the blond. Danny loved that thing and had claimed it for himself since his husband didn't care much for sweatshirts in the Hawaiian climate. The detective had always taken it with him when he had to visit his family in New Jersey without Steve. That way a part of his husband was with him after all. The dark-haired man had smiled when Danny had told him that and even wore it to scent it for him from time to time. The shorter man's heart filled with love at the sentiment behind that. It was the SEAL's way of showing him that in a way he was at the hospital with him. He put the sweatshirt on and felt a bit like he was hugged by his husband. The detective sighed. It was hard to comprehend that the Steve who was so considerate now was the same man who had just carelessly left him behind with only a stupid voicemail a few weeks ago. 

His ringing phone pulled him out of his thoughts. He left the room to take it while Flippa and Kamekona continued to set up their buffet.

"Steve, what's up?" 

"Hey, Danny, listen to me. Don't ask any questions. Just start walking towards the visitors' lounge. If you leave now, you should be there in about 30 seconds-- you're pretty close" the SEAL requested.

"What's going on? Are you up on my phone?" Danny wanted to know.

"Listen to me, all right? We ran Grace's phone. She received a threatening text message before the crash last night. Turn right there at the nurses' station. Keep going down the hall."

"What are you talking about?"

"The number is listed to a Nathan Cowell. We just pinged Nathan's phone, and he's in that hospital right now."

"Okay. Where? Where?" The detective was all ears now.

"You turn right into that next room. He should be standing right in front of you."

Danny followed his husband's directions and reached the waiting lounge.


	26. A happy end for monkey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Danny finally talk but will it resolve anything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Since Grace being 18 in this episode didn't make much sense to me when I look at the canon facts, we got over the years, I decided to make her 17 in my story.
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------S<3D------------------------------------

Turned out that he just had to use a slightly threatening cop voice to get the young man to talk. That Nathan guy was innocent, but the talk with him got them a new lead. After he had given his husband the new information, he had returned to Rachel in the waiting room. The two cousins had already left again to return to their shrimp business. His Ex-wife was looking at her phone and had a sad smile on her face.

"What are you watching?" Danny asked curiously. If it made her smile he wanted in on the fun.

She chuckled. 

"I'm collecting videos and photos for a slideshow. It's supposed to be a surprise for Grace's 18th birthday. Come here." She patted the couch next to her and hold the phone between them before she hit play.

It was the video they had made right after Grace was born. It's been years since he'd seen it. God, his baby girl had been so cute and small. Now they were back at the hospital and their baby was fighting for her life. After the video, there were some photos of their daughter growing up until around the time when Rachel had moved to Hawaii and had taken the light of his life with her.

"I still need a few photos or video clips of Grace's later years. I only have some of her time with me after our divorce. I don't want to scan her phone looking for some with you, so maybe you could provide me with some of your pictures with her. We could work on it together," Rachel suggested. 

"I would love to, but I'm not a selfie guy. The most pictures I have on my phone are from her and Steve and or Charlie."

"Steve is part of our family too, so I could use some of those pictures as well. I have to admit he is a way better choice as a stepparent then Stan ever was." She sighed.

"Even back in Jersey, I knew that I wasn't happy with Stan, just not like I thought I would be. But I didn't want to put Grace through another divorce, so we moved to Hawaii, and... now here we are. I'm still divorced for a second time."

"The move out here might have not saved your marriage, but we got Charlie out of it," Danny said trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah, and you got Steve. He's a way better match for you than I ever was."

"Rachel…" He tried to say something to placate her, but she held up her hand to stop him.

"Don't deny it. We both know it's true." She knew what Danny wanted to say.

They both sighed and went silent for a moment. It was Rachel who spoke first again.

"I'm still wondering though. If I'd stayed in New Jersey back then, Grace wouldn't be under the knife right now." She sobbed and tears started to run down her cheek.

"Okay, no. Rachel, don't do that. All right, this is... this is like an asteroid hitting earth. Okay, it doesn't matter if we're in Hawaii or in New Jersey. We just happened to be underneath it when it hit, okay? That's all." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him.

"Come on, I'll show you some pictures of my monkey with my Neanderthal. Those goofy faces will cheer you up." He was about to get his phone from his pocket when the pager buzzed. 

They rushed over to the nursing station where Grace's doctor was already waiting for them.

"Hey. What's going on?" Danny asked worriedly.

"Sorry, but there's been a complication."

"What do you mean?", the blond wanted to know. Why couldn't doctor's speak plain English?

"A hemorrhage. The team is doing everything that they can for her, but she is still in surgery."

"Okay. All right. So we'll just... we'll just hang out, then, yeah? We just have to wait. Okay. All right." His tone was a mixture of sarcasm, resignation, and panic. He was close to tears and frustrated and so, so scared, borderline hysteric. He wished he had thought to pack his anti-anxiety meds. He could use one of those pills right now.

Danny was about to lose it. Rachel stepped away. She had never been the strong one in their relationship. Seeing him like that was too much when added to her own turmoiled emotions. She knew he needed Steve.

He was really proud of Gracie, standing up for that bullied girl who made the mistake to post an intimate picture of herself. And then she put that older boy, who wouldn't leave them alone, in his place at the late-night food joint. Identifying and getting a hold of the creep and giving him a taste of his own medicine had given Steve purpose. But he meant what he'd said to Lou earlier. Putting him in jail wouldn't make a difference if Grace wouldn't pull through. Steve sighed.

Now he was sitting in his truck in the hospital parking lot and was about to get back in there. Back to his husband with whom he still was at odds with. Back to feeling helpless, because according to Danny's last update, there were complications during Grace's surgery. He was thankful that the blond even kept him updated. The SEAL still felt sorry for how the things were between them since Joe's death. If he tried to comfort him again, would Danny let him now that he wasn't in shock anymore? It didn't really matter. He would be there for his husband no matter what, even if he would reject him. He would stay close. Danny needed him. He looked up and pleaded to whatever higher power that was there not let their girl die. It would break Danny and he was afraid that they would never recover from that. He sighed. Then he left the truck and entered the hospital to go find his family.

"Hey, Rachel. We got the guy. He'll get negligent injury in the first degree. Reckless driving. He is going to jail. Any news on Grace?" The SEAL informed Grace's mother after he had entered the waiting room and was hoping for some news in return.

Rachel shook her head.

"Where is Danny?" Steve asked, noticing his husband's absence in the room.

"He wanted to go to the restrooms but didn't come back. He isn't doing so well, Steve."

"I'll see if I can find him. Stay strong." He lightly squeezed her shoulder before he went out to look for his husband.

He found the blond sitting on the floor next to the men's room door. He wore his old Navy sweatshirt and looked like a perfect picture of misery. 

Danny notices him as soon as he heard his footsteps and turned his head towards him. The taller man set down next to him.

"Found the guy?" The blond asked. 

"Yeah, we found the guy." 

"Thanks." Danny friendly slapped Steve's leg.

"I got to say, man, this kid's really starting to take after her old man. I mean, standing up to the bully, speaking up for the little guy."

"Yeah, I think maybe she, uh... she gets that from the both of us since you've been a major part of her teen-years. You're a good guy. Even Rachel commended on you being a good parental figure. Thanks for the sweatshirt, by the way."

"Yeah. Thought you could use it." Steve smiled at Danny. He was glad that the piece of cloth had the soothing effect he'd aimed for when he told Kamekona to pack it.

They were silent for a moment. Since they were alone, Steve thought it would be now or never for his overdue apology. This wasn't going to be easy and he was really scared of his husband's reaction. Was he too late? He hoped not. He just wished he knew where to start. He cleared his throat. Why not start with something easy, he thought.

"Danny, I really need to apologize for the three stupid voice mails I left you yesterday. It… I … it wasn't what I wanted to tell you at all."

"No shit, Sherlock", Danny snorted and rolled his eyes at the taller man. 

"What I meant to say to you was how deeply sorry I am about the way I treated you. Cath was right. I needed you. I should have called you immediately after I was attacked and should have considered you in all of my plans right from the start instead of leaving you out and keeping you at bay. It's just that after what happened I wanted you out of harm's way, but I love you baby and I promise to never do something like that again."

Danny knew his husband's words were heartfelt and the look in his wonderful warm eyes was nothing but sincere and hopeful. It didn't make what he needed to say any easier. Steve's apology was just the tip of the iceberg of the conversation they needed to have. But the circumstances had changed. Grace would need all his attention now. He wasn't in the right mindset to focus on their marriage at the moment. It was too much to handle. The detective sighed before he started to talk. 

"I believe you, Steve. I never doubted your love. And I'm glad to hear you admit that what you did was the wrong way of handling that situation…"

"Oh, I hear a `but´ coming," Steve sounded disappointed.

The blond could see the hopeful look in his husband's eyes vanishing and it hurt like hell. Danny gave him a sad smile.

"If you'd come over to apologize yesterday evening, I would have pulled you in a hug and told you that we would figure it out, but with what happened to my baby girl… I just… What if it had happened while you were away? We are married. I shouldn't have to doubt if I can rely on you being there for me and our family."

"Danny… I'll always be there for you, the kids, and our Ohana. You have to believe that", the dark-haired man pleaded. He'd never considered that Danny might need him in his absence. In his mind, the blond and his family were perfectly safe away from the action. Now his husband's words just added to his guilt.

"Yeah? How? You left and I had no way of contacting you, damit!" Danny exclaimed angrily, then sighed. He didn't want to fight right now. He knew Steve never meant to hurt him. The SEAL just sometimes still had problems with understanding how his actions were emotionally received by others. No wonder with parents like his. Bad thing was that Steve himself tended to be insecure whenever they were at odds. The blond always had to keep that in mind. His husband could be a piece of work. But he knew what he was getting into before they got married. Some days it was just harder to handle than others. Hoping he would find the right words to let his husband down easy, he took the taller man's hand in his and looked him in the eyes. He noticed something was missing and wondered why Steve still wasn't wearing his wedding ring, but that was a question for another time.

"Listen … I really can't focus on us right now, okay? Grace will need me when she is out of surgery."

"Yeah… I get it. Of course. Grace always comes first. I will call the governor and ask her for some time off for you." Steve pulled his hand out of Danny's grasp and got up from the floor. He knew his husband meant well but the tender touch felt just wrong after kind of getting rejected.

"Steve…" Shit, he needed to make sure that the dark-haired man understood that their relationship wasn't over. He was about to get up as well when Rachel came around the corner.

"She's out. She's okay" she said full of relief.

Danny shared a look with Steve who was just as relieved as Rachel and himself. Then he was upon instant and pulled his Ex into a hug. He took a deep breath. It felt as if he was catching air the first time in hours. He noticed that the other man was still standing on the side, looking a bit lost, so he invited his husband in on the hug. He pressed his face against the SEAL's neck and inhaled the familiar scent. His daughter would be all right and with time so would his relationship with Steve. Of that Danny was sure of. Hoping it would help convince his husband to not give up on them, he clapped him on the back.


	27. The kids will be alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It always bothered me that the show didn't care about the other injured girl so I let Steve tie up the loose ends.
> 
> \-----------------------------------------S<3D----------------------------------------------

It took a great load off his mind when Rachel told them that Grace was out of surgery and would be alright. He saw Danny hug his Ex and felt left out. Afterall the blond had just rejected him. Then his husband had opened up his arms and invited him in on the hug. Of course, he joined the relived parents. Back in Danny's arms, feeling how the shorter man buried his face in his neck, his mind was finally able to really comprehend what the detective had said. It wasn't a rejection. It was a `not now´. He felt Danny clapping him on the back. Yeah, the blond still loved him. He just needed time. Steve would give him that. They would concentrate on getting Grace back on her feet and in the meantime, the SEAL would try his best to support him and to show his husband how much he cared for and cherished him.

The hug seemed to last forever but eventually, Rachel slipped out, then after Danny squeezed his husband's biceps, he stepped away as well.

"When can we see her?" the detective asked his Ex.

"She is still in the recovery room and they are doing some tests. When it's done, they will bring her to a room in the ICU for the night. But that is just a precaution. A nurse will come and get us as soon as they've set her up." Rachel shared what the doctor had told her a few minutes ago. 

"That's good news. I hate having to leave again, but I think I should go find Katie's dad, to check how she is doing and to tell him what really happened. He deserves to know", Steve exclaimed.

Danny smiled. His husband was a good man. While he had already forgotten about the other victim, the dark-haired man remembered to keep that poor man posted. Even if he had blamed Grace, the man was still a worried dad whose kid was in the hospital because she'd been in an accident with another girl he didn't know. With his emotions running high, he just needed to blame someone. The blond would probably have reacted the same way if the roles had been reversed.

"That's a good idea. Tell him we wish Katie a speedy recovery", Rachel said and then walked back to the waiting room.

"Hey, call me when we can see Grace, okay?" Steve asked of his husband. 

"Yeah, of course", Danny assured him.

"Great, thanks. I will be back as soon as I can." With that, he headed out to go find Katie's father.

At the nursing station, a nice nurse told him that Mr. Gil was at the cafeteria right now. The SEAL found the man sitting at a table nursing a coffee.

"Mr. Gil? Can I talk to you for a second?" Steve addressed the man.

"What do you want? I won't verbally attack your man or his girl again, so you can back off." He sounded so tired and shattered. 

"That's not why I'm here. May I sit with you?"

Katie's dad shrugged. The SEAL took that as a yes and pull a chair back to sit down.

"My team and I finished the investigation. We got the guy who is responsible for the accident." 

That seemed to awaken Mr. Gil's interest and he looked at Steve with eager eyes. So, the Commander started to tell the story from the start.

When the SEAL ended his explanation with assuring Katie's dad that the perp would face jail time, Mr. Gil sighed.

"Grace is a good girl, standing up for my Katie. I'm sorry I blamed her for causing the accident."

"Don't sweat it. Unusual circumstances and all. Grace will make a full recovery and we all hope Katie will get well soon again, too."

At that, Mr. Gil broke out in sobs.

"My Katie is in ICU. They could inflate her lungs again. Now they are monitoring her vitals. If she's stable enough they want her back in surgery to take care of her leg. They told me they are not sure if they can save it, though because it is so severely shattered. Images don't look good. I should prepare myself for the worst. They might have to amputate. How do I tell my daughter that she has to live with one leg for the rest of her life?" 

The man in front of him looked devastated. Steve couldn't leave him like that. That family deserved to catch a break.

"Mr. Gil, I'm so sorry to hear that. I have connections over at Tripler. One of their top orthopedic surgeons owes me a favor. I can't promise anything, but maybe he can help. Just let me do a quick call."

"She is my baby girl, so I will take all the help I can get."

Steve got up and while he walked a few steps away, he pulled out his phone to make the call. 

Mr. Gil observed Steve talking to that doctor at Tripler. He was surprised that the man wanted to help them after how unfriendly he'd approached Williams earlier. He took a mental note to apologize to Grace's dad later. He saw that the dark-haired man had ended the call and got out of his chair.

"Dr. Turner promised to come over to take a look at Katie as soon as he is done with his rounds at Tripler" Steve announced.

"Thank you," Katie's dad said with regained hope in his voice.

"Don't mention it. I wish you both the best. Now if you'd excuse me, I want to check in on Grace." 

A few minutes later Steve was back in the waiting room with Rachel and Danny. Since they were still waiting, he gave them an update on Katie.

"Poor girl. She's been through enough already. I hope your pal from Tripler can help her", Danny said.

A nurse appeared at the door.

"Grace is nicely settled in her room in the ICU. You can see her, but only family for now." She looked at Steve.

"He is family," Danny said at the same time a Rachel uttered, "He is his husband."

"Ah, I see. Well, we only allow two people at once."

"You two go. I'll wait for my turn. Safe the best for last, you know," Steve assured cheekily. He was so happy that both parents had included him in Grace's family.

"Super SEAL over her thinking he's the main act, very funny." Danny grinned his typical `my husband is a goof´ grin and followed the nurse with Rachel. Steve couldn't help but smile.

About 15 minutes later Danny returned to the waiting room. His form was finally relaxed.

"The nurse kicked us out for now. She said Grace needs to rest."

"Oh," Steve said sounding disappointed.

"Don't worry. You still get to see her. Rachel has to fill out some more forms and I want to call Noelani and check in on Charlie. Then I'll drive home and drop Rachel off on the way. We both need a shower. We will drive to the hospital again later. I don't know how long they let us stay and Noelani is the medical examiner on call tonight, so could you pick up Charlie and take him for the night?"

"Yeah, of course. Eddie will be happy to see him."

"Great. Thank you so much. Now go see Grace. I don't know why, but she wants to see your ugly mug."

"Of course she wants to see me. I bet she is already stressed out again because she had to deal with you smothering her" Steve snickered and left the room to go see Gracie. At least they were bickering again.

"You have ten minutes, Commander" the nurse reminded him before she opened the door of Grace's room.

Steve stepped inside. Even knowing that Grace had an accident it was still a shock to see her all hurt like that. Additionally to her head wound, she had some cuts and bruises on her face and her right arm was in a cast.

"How are you feeling, Gracie?" he asked in that soft tone that was reserved for Danny's kids.

"Like I had a car accident, but they are giving me some good stuff, so I can manage."

"That's my girl."

"Danno told me you got the guy that was chasing us."

"Yeah. He will be locked away for some time. Hey, I'm proud of you for standing up for Katie and how you handled the situation with the creep at Zippy's."

"I still ended in the curb, though."

"You're still new at driving and that guy coerced you into driving that fast. The street was wet, and you were scared. It was not your fault. I'll give you some lessons on high speed chasing to polish your skills."

She chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm sure Danno will love that. He's always praising your driving" Grace said ironically.

"I know, right? He is really happy that I always drive him around."

"Speaking of being happy. How are things between you two?" The girl went serious again.

"Don't you worry, Gracie. We adults will deal with it."

"Just tell me you have a plan."

"I'm working on it. But I already made the first step and apologized."

"That's good. Now all you have to do is woo him back." She yawned.

"You're tired?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"Okay. Then I'll let you get some rest. Your mom and dad will be in later tonight and I'll see you tomorrow." He leaned forward to give her a little kiss on her not so much injured cheek.

"It's a date." She smiled tiredly.

"You betcha!" With that, he left the room. 

When he came back to the waiting area, Danny and Rachel were already gone. Steve looked at his phone. It had beeped when he had been with Grace. His husband had sent him a message to let him know that Noelani was awaiting him to pick up Charlie.

Grace's words still lingered in his ears when he was walking towards his truck. Maybe she was right. It was time for operation wooing Danny.


	28. He's making a list and checking it twice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluffy Steve and Charlie time with a bit of Junior on top.

Steve arrived at Noelani's 40 minutes later. He had just rung when the door opened, and he was welcomed by a 4 foot 2 inches excited little blond boy who hugged him.

"Uncle Steve! Danno called! Gracie is better again. But Noelani explained that the med's she gets make her sleepy so I have to wait for tomorrow until I can see her."

Noelani came into view. Steve searched for her eyes and mouthed a thank you. He had been afraid he would have to explain why Charlie couldn't see his sister yet.

"We went to the Lego store and had ice cream after. Noelani got me the Lego Fire station."

"Did you thank her for that?" Steve asked the blond boy.

Charlie nodded. 

"He did. He was well-behaving the whole day," Noelani assured with a smile.

"We haven't started to build the Fire station up yet. Noelani said it was too risky because I might lose a piece if I start here and have to pack up later. But then she showed me her fish tank. It is so cool. Come see, Uncle Steve." Charlie grabbed the SEAL's hand and dragged him to Noelani's living room. In the left corner stood an about 235-gallon tank filled with what looked like a coral-reef imitate and some of its usual resident fish's, including a clownfish.

"Yeah, buddy. That's really cool." Steve agreed. He looked at the medical examiner.

"I didn't know you were into aquaristics."

"I started with a single goldfish when I was a kid and got more experience with other freshwater fishes while I was in Highschool. During med school, I got my first seawater tank and now I'm the owner of this baby. It is really nice to come home to something living and colorful after a day at the morgue. And as far as pets go, taking care of them works best with my work schedule."

"Uncle Steve, can I get a fish-tank, too?" Charlie looked up to him with nearly irresistible puppy eyes.

Baby blue like his dad's. However, the older Williams only used that look on him if he wanted something special in bed. And now was so mot the time to think about that. Charlie still waited for his answer. While he might be a parental figure to both of Danny's kids, he never would nor could make major decisions for them. So, for now, all he could do was to put the boy off.

"Well, I guess we need to have a talk about that with your mom and Danno first, but I don't see a reason why not. But you have to promise you will help take care of them."

"Awesome, and don't worry. Noelani promised me to teach me how to take care of them!" The boy beamed at him.

"That is very nice of her. Go and give her one of your special hugs and say goodbye because we have to go now. Eddie is waiting for you, buddy."

Charlie did as he was told. He loved to play with the dog. Sometimes Danno pretended as if Uncle Steve, Eddie, and he were all animals he had to take care of and if they were all good boys, they all got a treat. A nice bone for Eddie, some sweets for him, and something for Uncle Steve, but he had never found out what because Danno always told Uncle Steve he would be giving `it´ to him later. Come next morning both men had always silly, happy smiles on their faces. So, whatever `it´ was must be pretty awesome. He's asked a few times, but too bad, Uncle Steve never wants to share `it´ with him.

"Goodbye, Noelani. Thanks for the great day." Charlie hugged the woman who'd looked after him.

"Yeah, it was fun. Too bad, that I'm on call tonight. Give Eddie a nice belly rub from me. Now, go fetch your stuff."

Charlie nodded and headed to the couch were Noelani had packed up the boy's things.

"Thank you for looking after him today" Steve pointed out his gratitude again.

"Don't sweat it. He is such a cutie. It's fun to spent time with him."

"I'm ready, Uncle Steve!" Charlie announced.

"Okay, then let's go." He herded the boy to the door and with a last goodbye to Noelani they left her apartment. 

When they arrived at the beach house, Eddie greeted them with an enthusiastic bark and wiggling tail. Charlie immediately kneeled next to the dog and gave him a hug and a scratch behind the ear. Steve patted his head in passing and walked over to the couch to put down the little boy's backpack and the box with his new LEGO. That's when Junior came into the living room.

"Hey, I heard Grace will pull through."

"Yeah, she has to stay in the hospital for a while, but she will be alright."

"Hi, Junior!" Charlie greeted the other man excitedly.

"Hey, little man." The younger SEAL awkwardly waved back. 

Steve chuckled. Junior was worse with little kids then he was in the beginning. He doesn't seem to know what to do with them. Too young to let him play with his kind of video games, too old to get away with a short round of peekaboo and belly tickling. Eddie was a good link between them though. Whenever the McGarrett/Williams clan was at the beach house at the same time as Junior, the young SEAL and Charlie would engage in a play of frisbee with the dog in the backyard.

"Danny and I both told you he won't bite."

"Actually, the first time I met him, Danny said Charlie won't bite … anymore." Junior said.

Steve grinned. He could remember sitting next to Danny in the hospital after the bone marrow transplant. Rachel had brought Charlie's baby book and a couple of other albums. She had stayed a while to answer Danny's questions and to tell some cute stories and yes, the little boy had a biting tendency during his terrible twos. 

"I hope you don't mind that I brought him with me. Rachel and Danny plan to stay the night at the hospital with Grace."

"Of course not. This is your house after all. But if I may ask, you bringing him here, does it mean you and Danny are still fighting?" Junior asked sounding sincerely concerned.

"No… not really. We're better. It's just… bad timing, you know?" While he was driving over to Noelani, Steve had considered driving home with Charlie. Danny and he were doing better. But they were still far away from their version of sunshine and roses. His husband had asked him to take his son for the night. But it didn't felt as if that was the blondes way of asking him back home. So, he had decided to give Danny space and to take Charlie to the beach house. And now here they were.

"Ah, yes. With Grace in the hospital… I understand." Junior said.

"Uncle Steve, can I play with Eddie in the back yard?"

"Of course, buddy. Hey, why don't you and Junior go outside for a while with Eddie and I fetch us some dinner. Sound good?"

Charlie nodded and was already on his way towards the lanai with the dog on his heels before Junior even got his brain in gear for a round of catch with Charlie and Eddie.

While Steve sorted through the bachelor's fridge for ingredients appropriated for a child's meal, he could hear laughter coming from the backyard. The three seemed to have fun. The older SEAL found some still good vegetables and a steak and decided to make a quick and easy stir-fry. Thanks to Danny's philosophy `You get what you get, and you don't get upset´ Charlie wasn't a picky eater.

As he started to chop, he was thinking about ways to woo Danny back. When he was finished with the vegetables, he had a couple of ideas. So he grabbed the notepad that was lying next to the kitchen phone and made a list. After he had put his ideas down, he chopped the steak and started cooking. While he was waiting for the rice to cook, he made sure his stir-fry was seasoned perfectly and then he added a few more ideas to his list. He was pretty pleased with himself. The ideas were great. He just hoped Danny would like them and would recognize the thought behind it. For some of the items on the list, he needed to make a few calls, but that could wait till after dinner.

Steve opened the door to the lanai and called the guys back in for dinner. 

"It smells yummy, Uncle Steve!" Charlie announced when he entered the kitchen.

"And it tastes even better. Go wash up buddy." Steve said smiling widely and playfully stroked through the little boy's hair before he let him move past him to get to the downstairs guest bathroom.

Finally, Junior and Eddie came into the kitchen. The dog went straight to his bowl to thirstily lap up some water.

"I don't know who has more energy, Charlie or Eddie" Junior said and grabbed himself a water bottle from the fridge.

"Don't tell me you start to feel old already." Steve chuckled while he put out the plates.

"No, but I have definitely more respect for people in childcare professions and dig sitters by now. I can't imagine having to deal with a larger group of kids or dogs. Smells good by the way, Commander."

"I washed my hands. Can we eat now?" Charlie asked when he came back running into the kitchen.

"Hey, what have Danno and I told you about running in the house?" The older SEAL said in a soft but serious tone.

"Not to do it. Sorry, Uncle Steve," the blond kid said sheepishly.

"That's right. Go, take the cutlery, and put it on the dining room table, please. Junior and I will join you with the food in a minute."

Charlie grabbed the forks and slowly walked towards the sunroom where the dinner table was set.

A couple of minutes later the three men were savoring their simple, but delicious meal. After dinner, Junior opted to do the clean-up and to feed Eddie. That left Steve and Charlie in the living room. Danny's son had asked if he could watch tv and Steve had turned on Animal Planet. They were airing a documentary about monogamy in the animal kingdom. The SEAL felt the familiar feeling of family bliss when Charlie cuddled up next to him on the couch a few minutes into the program. He just wished he'd had his husband and Grace on his other side. 

After a while, the show progressed from mammals and birds to monogamy in aquatic animals.

_~Monogamy is not that common in fishes, and it is mostly found in tropical and subtropical waters. Care needed from two parents, joint defense of territories, and difficulties in finding a mate all can play a role. Typically in pairs, French angelfish help each other defend their territory against other fish. The couples have been observed spending extended periods of time together, exhibiting more of a monogamous social structure.* ~_

As Steve listened to the narrator go on about other monogamous sea creatures, he got an idea. He really should give the whole fish tank thing a serious thought. He kissed Charlie apologetic on the head before he got up from the couch. He promised to be right back and went to the kitchen to add something to his list.

When he came into the kitchen, Junior was done with the dishes and was giving the counter a quick last wipe-over. 

Steve grabbed the notepad and a pen and wrote down:

_Call Noelani and ask her where she got her fish tank from and make an appointment at that store asap!_

He scanned the list again and was quite happy with his collection of ideas. He tore the page from the notepad, gently folded it, and put it in his pocket.

"If that was a shopping list, I'm way ahead of you. I was thinking about making a quick run to the store so we have something more than coffee and butter we can serve our little house guest for breakfast tomorrow."

"Good thinking, Junior. I appreciate it." Steve said and got a can of sugar-free soda for Charlie out of the fridge.

"Good. I'll be back soon."

Steve re-joined Charlie on the couch and handed the boy the soda. He noticed the different narrator and figured the previous documentary was over.

"So, what are we watching?" He asked Danny's son.

"It is so cool, Uncle Steve. It is a ranking of the most dangerous animals."

On-screen the narrator announced a break and promised to be right back with number 8 till 6 of the animals with the highest human kill counts.

"That's cool indeed."

Charlie took a few sips from his beverage before he put the can on the couch table. He looked at the SEAL with questioning eyes.

"Uncle Steve, will we all be together again when Gracie gets out of the hospital? I miss having you and Danno around."

The boy's wishful tone nearly broke Steve's heart. The dark-haired man pulled Charlie close and ruffled through his hair. He had no real answer to that since ultimately that was up to the child's father, so he just went with, "I hope so, buddy. I really hope so." The SEAL emphasized his words with a kiss to the kid's head.

In the end, it turned out that the mosquito is the greatest killer out there. As vectors of disease, they are responsible for the deaths of at least two million people annually. Junior had joined them in the meantime and had watched the last couple of minutes of the show after his return from the store.

Steve made sure Charlie understood that he didn't need to be afraid to get sick from a mosquito bite because the mentioned mosquito-transmitted diseases aren't endemic to Hawaii and that there were many vaccinations available nowadays. Then he told the boy about all the shots he and Junior got when his SEAL mission's lead him to high-risk zones. Since Charlie hated getting shots it only enhanced his hero worship for the man.

"You were so brave, Uncle Steve. I hate getting shots. Needles are evil!"

"Charlie, Danny, and Steve told me how sick you were a couple of years ago and that you were in the hospital a lot. I bet they needed to use a lot of needles, so I think you are just as brave as the Commander and I."

"Yeah, Charlie. Junior is right You are the bravest boy I know."

The kid beamed at them. 

"So, does that mean I can become a SEAL, too when I grow up?" He asked the older men excitedly.

"We will see about that when the time comes. For now Junior and I declare you an honorable SEAL. How does that sound?"

"Hooyah, buddy!" Junior chimed in.

"Awesome. I can't wait to tell Danno! Hooyah, Hooyah!" The boy jumped up and down delightedly. Steve scanned the soda can just to make sure he didn't accidentally pick a sugar one. But no. The excitement was all-natural, but he needed to channel that energy in the right direction because it was nearly bedtime.

"Hey, Charlie. You know what good SEALs always do?" Steve asked Danny's son. 

"No. What? Tell me!"

"They brush their teeth before bed and go to sleep early so they are fit for their next mission or in your case the next school day."

"Okay, Uncle Steve."

"Good. Do you want to sleep in the room Danno, and I set up for you and Gracie, or do you want to bunk in with me?" He hoped the mood would lead the boy to choose the latter otherwise he had to put fresh sheets on one of the beds in the children's room since he hadn't thought to prepare it beforehand.

"SEAL's sleepover!" Charlie shouted happily and clapt his hands together.

"The big bed it is. Go head upstairs and get ready for bed. I lay out your p.j.'s."

While Charlie was brushing his teeth Steve's cell rang and he got a call from Rachel.

"Hey, Rachel. Everything's alright?"

"Yes. Grace is doing great. They will transfer her to a regular room after rounds tomorrow morning. I don't know how he did it, but Danny persuaded the night nurses to let us stay overnight, so I just wanted to say good night to Charlie."

Steve grinned. While Danny could be a grumpy old man sometimes, he also could be quite charming. The SEAL had yet to meet hospital staff that was immune to his gorgeous husband's charm.

"Of course, just wait a moment. He's brushing his teeth right now." Steve walked towards the bathroom.

"Hey Charlie, your mom wants to say good night."

The boy spit out his toothpaste and flushed out his mouth before he made grabby hands towards the phone. Steve handed over his phone and walked back into the bedroom to pull back the comforter so Charlie could slip right under the sheets when he finished his call.

A few minutes later the blond kid came into the bedroom and hold out the cell to Steve.

"Danno wants to talk with you."

"Thank you, buddy. Get comfy. I'll tuck you in in a minute." With that, he stepped into the hallway.

"Hey, Danny!" The SEAL greeted his husband.

"Why does my son think he will become a SEAL, Steven?"

"Well, we talked about…" McGarrett started his explanation.

"I don't want to hear what you talked about. Charlie already told me. It was a rhetorical question. I know it's an honorable profession, but there are better and safer ways to serve your country. No way my precious baby boy will go on classified suicide missions in godforsaken countries. Do you understand me? It is bad enough that I have to worry about you."

Steve smiled. His husband was in his typical rant mode. A part of the SEAL was even happy to be the recipient of that rant. And he felt a bit warm inside hearing that Danny was worried about him. It showed him that he cared, and still loved him.

"You worry about everything, Danny." The SEAL played his part.

"How can I not, Steve? I live in a world where my monkey was forced into an accident by a pushy stalker driver!"

"Danny, calm down. We got the scumbag and Grace will be fine" The taller man said in a soft and soothing tone.

"I… first you, now her…I just don't seem to be able to catch a damn break and I can't face losing either of you."

"And neither one of us wants to lose you, so please try to calm down and get some rest, will you?"

"Uncle Steve, I'm ready. Will you tell me a story?" Charlie shouted from the bedroom.

"Danny, listen, we…"

"Go tuck my baby in, babe. But no crazy SEAL stories!" The blond man must have heard his son over the speaker. His voice had become softer and less erratic. 

Steve's heart grew bigger when he heard Danny's nickname for him.

"Puppies and kittens got it. Okay. We see each other tomorrow when I visit my favorite girl. I have the meeting with the Governor first thing in the morning after I drop Charlie off at school and if nothing else comes up afterward, I'll drive up to Wahiawa."

"Great, Grace will be happy to see you."

"Only Grace?" Steve said in a flirting tone without knowing where it came from. He was promptly afraid he'd gone too far too fast.

"Good night, Steven," was all Danny said to that, but the SEAL could swear he could hear his beautiful husband smile through the phone.

"Good night Danny and give Gracie a hug from me."

"Sure. See you tomorrow." With that, the blond ended the call.

"Uncle Steve?"

The SEAL sighed. As much as he wanted to analyze his talk with Danny - duty called. It was time to tuck his boy in.

Twenty minutes and a made-up story about a crime-fighting dinosaur spaceship crew – staring Space Detective Dannosaur who just got transferred to the farthermost planet of his solar system to work with his awesome new partner Space Commander McGarRex – later, Charlie was finally asleep.

Steve went downstairs. Junior had let out Eddie for the last time that day and was now waiting that the dog was finished with doing his business. Perfect! He got a hold of his tablet and started to plan the different parts of `Operation wooing Danny´.

####################################################################

And here is a picture of Noelani's fish tank:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *it is a quote from this online article  
> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/is-it-love-why-some-ocean-animals-sort-of-mate-for-life-16907109/


	29. Operation wooing Danny - Day 1: Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve has a nightmare & Danny gets some lovely flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the next couple of chapters will center around different little surprises for Danny that Steve came up with. They might not always be as long as you are used to, but I hope you'll like them.  
> I aimed for meaningful and romantic without being too sappy. 
> 
> \--------------------------------------S<3D------------------------------------------------

It was nearly midnight when Steve went upstairs and got ready for bed. Charlie was dead asleep and didn't rose when the SEAL slipped under the sheets next to him. Danny's son looked just as cute as Grace and his dad when they were asleep. It had been stressful 24 hours, but the little boy's calm breathing lulled the dark-haired man to sleep quickly. Sadly, it wasn't a peaceful sleep for McGarrett.

_He finally got Thomsen to talk. He knew where Hassan was. He took his phone and called Danny. He wasn't stupid. He knew he needed help capturing that man. His team and his husband would help him._

_"Detective Williams," the blond man said when he answered his phone._

_Oh, how he had craved hearing Danny's voice._

_"Danny, I know where the man is that is responsible for Joe's death."_

_Silence. Then a harrumph. Finally, the SEAL could hear his husband again. But what he heard turned his blood into ice._

_"Well, good for you. I have news as well. While you were chasing your demons god knows where my baby girl was in a car crash. She suffered a severe brain bleed and still hasn't woken up yet. Doc said she might never will."_

_"Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I'll come home asap, baby."_

_"You should have been here, Steven. We are your family. You should have been here. But finding Joe's killer was more important to you. Good luck with your revenge. Don't bother coming home. I don't want to see you ever again!"_

_"No, Danny… please, I'm sorry…"The SEAL begged._

_"We are done." The line went dead._

_"No, no, no…" Steve sobbed._

_~ You should have been here~_

_~ You should have been here~_

_~ You should have been here~_

Steve's eyes snap open. His body was covered in a cold sweat. He was shaking, heart pounding behind his ribs and he felt bile rising up his throat. He was gonna be sick. He quickly got up and stumbled to the bathroom. He turned on the light and was on his knees in front of the toilet before he knew it. Throwing up his stomach's content. 

Still hugging the ceramic bowl a few minutes later, he tried to get his breathing and the retching under control. He hadn't thrown up since his radiation poison. And he certainly never felt that sick after a nightmare before. Danny's question about what if Grace's accident had happened while he was away really hit a nerve of his subconsciousness. Dear lord, his initial decision to go after Joe's killer alone might have cost him everything. It could have ruined him and everyone he loved. He couldn't live without his family. Steve gaged and spit out some of the remained bile and saliva. 

When he finally felt sure he wouldn't have to throw up again, he got off the floor and stepped to the sink. He turned on the faucet, let some water rinse into his hand, and flushed his mouth. It didn't help much against the bad and bitter taste, so he decided to brush his teeth and to use some mouthwash. Afterward, he chewed one of Danny's fruity antacids that his husband had kept in the bathroom cabinet. Feeling a bit better, but still shaken by that nightmare he turned off the light again and walked back into the bedroom. He thanked God for Charlie's deep sleep. The boy hadn't noticed anything. 

When the SEAL was in bed again, he swore to himself that he would never leave his family again, no matter what. He wouldn't allow his nightmare to come true! 

The alarm clock rang way too early after the night he had, but he had a little boy to get ready for school. Said boy rose a second after Steve had turned off the alarm. Charlie had adorable bed-hair, just like Danny.

"Morning, Uncle Steve," the kid murmured with a still sleepy voice.

"Good morning, Charlie. You want to use the bathroom first, buddy?"

The boy just nodded. He rolled out of bed and walked towards the bathroom like a little zombie. 

Steve let his head rest on the pillow for another minute and yawned. His nightmare lingered still on his mind. He had to remind himself that Grace was going to be okay and it wasn't too late to fight for his marriage. It was time to get `Operation wooing Danny´ going. But first, he had to make breakfast for Charlie, drop him off at school, and to get the meeting with the Governor over with. Ready to face the day, the SEAL got out of bed.

It was around noon. As promised Grace had been moved to a regular room after rounds. Her doctors were pleased with her condition and estimated a one-week hospital stay and a couple of weeks at home before she could return to school. After Grace had settled into her new room, Rachel had left to meet with her bosses to see if she could clear her schedule for the duration of their daughter's hospitalization. While Grace had been taken for some post-op scans, Danny had informed Steve and the rest of the team about Grace's new room number via text and then called his mother to let her know what had happened. In hindsight that had been a bad idea because it took the blond nearly half an hour to convince his mom not to book the next flight to Honolulu. No question where he got his worrying from.

He was telling Grace about the talk he had with her grandma when a delivery man came into the room with a bouquet of flowers.

"Flowers for Williams?" The man asked.

"That's us," Danny said got up from his chair and signed off on the flowers, and handed the delivery guy a Dollar for tip.

"Look, monkey. Someone send you flowers. I bet they are from Will." Danny handed his daughter the bouquet and went outside to ask a nurse for a vase.

A minute later he came back with a simple white ceramic vase filled with a good amount of water.

"Here we go." Danny set the vase on the little table in the corner of the room.

"Thanks, Danno, but the flowers are actually for you," she proclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" The blond said dumbstruck. Who would send him flowers?

"They are from Uncle Steve. Just read the card." She beamed at him, very happy that the SEAL had listened to her and started his attempt to woo her dad back.

Danny grabbed the card his daughter was handing to him and read.

_Dear Danny! The florist remembered me and seemed pleased to arrange this bouquet for you. Who'd thought you were right, after all? XOXO Steve_

"What does he mean, Danno?"

Just now the detective realized what kind of flowers they were. Orchids, freesias, and peonies – all of them white and accompanied by some purple hyacinths. The Jersey native shook his head in disbelieve as a memory came back to him.

"He remembered", he said in a soft tone. He felt touched deeply.

"He remembered what?" Grace asked curiously. 

Danny put the flowers in the vase and set next to his monkey again. After a long sigh, he started to tell her the story behind Steve's cryptic message.

"When we were planning our wedding you made us meet with a florist, you remember?"

"Yeah, you both didn't care much about flowers, but Kono and I insisted."

"See, we were walking through the flower-shop and the florist, a nice, elderly, Hawaiian native woman was talking about all the different flowers and their symbolism. We passed the bouquet arranging section of the store and the florist said that her co-worker was just working on an apology bouquet, containing white orchids symbolizing sincerity, white peonies who stand for regret and apology, purple hyacinths who are used to say `please forgive me' and some white freesias to remind your spouse of your pure and unconditional love. That's when I jokingly said to Steve that with the amount of his stupid stunts he pulled and the danger he exposed me to on a daily basis it would be best to keep that exact bouquet in mind because he had to apologize one day or another. He had just rolled his eyes at that, so it is kind of mind-blowing to learn that he actually remembered."

"Ah, now I get it. With sending you those flowers, he admitted that you were right all along with saying he would have to use them to apologize one day. Wow, that's so cute. He really is sorry and loves you so much, Danno." She was excited about how much thoughts her Uncle Steve had put into that little present. Further, the girl noticed the smile that her Danno tried to suppress futilely. The blond didn't want to encourage her to meddle with his love life.

Before Danny could react to his daughter's words there was a knock on the door. A woman at the end of her twenties came into the room and announced that her name was Beth Andrews and that she would like to start Grace on some physiotherapy. 

After his talk with the Governor that actually went on long but better then he'd imagined (she kind of apologize for being a bit rude on the phone the other day, but standing by her word that she wouldn't accept another surprise departure from her task force leader, something that Steve gladly promised would never happen again), he drove straight to the palace. 

When he entered HQ Jerry was standing at the computer table. Since he hadn't seen Steve since he returned to Hawaii, he pulled the Commander into a tight hug. 

"Good to see you, too, Jerry." 

"I'm so glad you are okay. Why didn't anybody call me? I would have come back asap to help!"

"You were so excited about your trip to Memphis and it was your first vacation since you got the badge. Since it was time-sensitive, we didn't want to ruin your fun."

"And what about yesterday?"

"Come on buddy, it was your mother's 70th birthday. You couldn't have missed that," Lou said as he entered the room.

"Hey, Steve! We didn't think we would see you back at work so soon," the Chicago native then greeted the SEAL. 

"Well, I just had a meeting with the Governor and told her we were back with full force, minus Danny. She granted him two weeks of absence to deal with his family emergency. Are you guys working a case at the moment?"

"Not really. Junior is helping Tani and Adam tying some loose ends to their last case and I got a message from Kamekona. The big guy send an SOS and asked for an emergency meeting. Something about a dine-n-dasher at the restaurant," Lou explained.

"Tell him we meet him around 5 pm at the shrimp truck."

"You sure you are up to his nonsense?" Lou wanted to know.

"Yeah, it will ease me right back in. If there is nothing else at the moment, I would like to drive to the hospital to see Grace."

"No problem. We hold down the fort," Jerry promised.

"Go see your girl. Tell her Will said hi."

"Will do. See you back at 5 then." With that Steve left the palace.

When he arrived at the hospital, he was a bit nervous. The flowers must have arrived by now. How would Danny react? Was it too sappy? Too cliché? He sighed. He would find out in a few minutes. He left the car and entered the hospital. Thanks to Danny sending him Grace's room number, he knew where to go. Scanning the room numbers, he nearly ran into his husband who just walked out of Grace's room.

"Oh, hey. You're here," Danny greeted him with a shy smile.

"Yeah. Told you I would come to see her after my meeting with the Governor. She is glad I'm back and I got her to grant you two weeks leave of absence for your family emergency."

"Two weeks? That's great because Rachel could only get one week off. They couldn't postpone her business trip next week. That way Grace at least got me when she is out of the hospital."

"And she got me," Steve added.

"Of course, she got you, yes." It sounded a bit reluctant. But who could blame him? Steve had been absent for the last couple of weeks.

"Uh… did you get the flowers I send you?" The SEAL asked, still nervous.

"Yeah. They are nice, thank you." Danny said with a slight blush. He had loved the sentiment, but a bouquet couldn't magically heal the wounds that Steve's decisions had caused the blond.

"And?" Steve had expected more than a polite thank you. 

Danny sighed. He loved Steve and he did not doubt that the taller man loved him, too. He was just scared to fully trust him again. He feared that his husband wasn't taking this seriously and was just trying to placate him, so they could get back to how things were before. He was not ready to let him close again, but at the same time, he didn't want him to be too far away either. he needed to find a middle ground to keep the status quo up until he was ready.

"Well, what can I say. Your apology is noted, acceptance is pending. Go see Grace. She just finished her first PT session. She will like the company. Rachel will only be back in the afternoon. She has to make some arrangements at work so she will be free for the rest of the week, and I have to make a few calls. I told my parents about Grace and mom called my sisters, so I will have two worried aunts breathing down my neck if I don't give them some updates."

"Who will pick up Charlie from school?"

"Rachel will pick him up. The school is on her way. She will bring him here so he can see Grace and then I will take him home with me while she stays with Grace for the night." Danny informed him.

"Okay, hey you mind if I bring over the LEGO fire station, Noelani got him? We could have dinner together." Steve said hopefully.

"She got him a LEGO fire station? Well, I guess desperate times require desperate measures. Yeah, okay. Drop it off at our house later."

Steve knew that Danny wasn't prone to let other people spoil his kids, but apparently, he would let this one slide. His heart skipped a beat though when he heard Danny saying `our´ house. He also realized that his husband didn't give him an answer regarding meeting up for dinner.

"And what about dinner?" Steve asked again.

"I don't know when we will be home, so I was thinking take out or delivery. I'm not in the mood for family dinner. Raincheck?" The detective's eyes tried to signal a message to the taller man. ~Please don't push too hard. Be patient with me.~

"Yes, of course." The SEAL nodded. He felt a bit disappointed even though `raincheck´ wasn't a real rejection.

"Okay, then. I will call my sisters now. See you."

Steve let Danny move past him and sighed. He should have known that a simple bouquet wouldn't be enough to woo his husband back. But he wouldn't give up that easily. After all, he wouldn't be Steve McGarrett if he hadn't some more aces up his sleeve.


	30. Operation wooing Danny - Day : Enemy Mine and a glass of wine

The next morning Danny turned off his alarm and rolled over again with a sigh. He missed waking up next to Steve. There were mornings when he would be spooning him, pressing his lips to the detective's shoulder, or nuzzle the back of his neck, soft and undemanding. Then, depending on time, his mood, and whether they had the kids with them or not, the SEAL would either scramble out of bed and go for a run, to let him doze some more and properly wake him later with a steaming cup of coffee that he served him in bed. Or they would let the cuddling get more heated and naughty and they would end up with a nice, sweet, and slow snuggle fuck.

But for the last couple of weeks, it had been nothing but his annoying alarm and maybe his right hand if he felt like it. The blond man sighed again. He cursed his cautious mind for not having made up with his husband already. _Soon_ he promised himself and finally got out of bed.

With all his fatherly routine he got his son ready for school and served him some toast and eggs for breakfast. After dropping Charlie off at school, it was off to the hospital to supersede Rachel. His Ex greeted him when he entered their daughter's room.

"Good morning Danny. How is Charlie?"

"A bit antsy because his Junior Firefighting Group starts today, but also a bit sad that he can't come over to see Grace afterward."

"Still not happy with that, I see."

"No, but I believe he understood that it just would be too much driving around and that it would get too late for him to do his homework. So, the plan still stands. You will pick him up after his JFC and keep him for the night and I stay with Grace?"

"About that. Steve called me last night. He proposed to stay with Grace tonight so that we two can relax a bit and get a good night's sleep after the last two stressful days we had. I think we should take his offer. Since I still have to prepare a few things for my business trip next week, you could have Charlie for another night. Your Commander mentioned something about a Lego fire station I bet Charlie would love to set up with you after he's done with his homework."

Danny smiled at her words. He loved to play Lego with his son, but not as much as Steve did. The blond could still remember that one time he had to work late on his taxes (the last one before he'd married Steve and came to enjoy letting the SEAL's tax consultant handle that stuff for them) and the taller man offered to entertain Charlie in the meantime. When he was finished it was the little boy's bedtime. He would never forget how Steve and Charlie had looked at him with those adorable faces and puppy eyes begging for 5 more minutes in tandem.

"If Grace has no problems with it, I'm game." He would never say no to spending more time with his son, but he had to consider his girl as well.

"I'm okay with it. You both need some downtime", Grace said when she came out of the bathroom.

"Good morning, monkey. How are you feeling?" Danny asked and stepped towards her to help her over to her bed.

"I'm still slow as a snail and having to wipe my ass with the wrong hand is just weird and tricky."

"Language, young lady," Rachel warned.

"Oh, come on, mom. I'm nearly 18! I can use the a-word, at least when Charlie is not around." Grace rolled her eyes at her mother and carefully moved towards her bed. She still felt a bit wobbly, but Beth said that was common even with minor brain injury.

"Not under my watch."

"Listen to your mom. And don't worry. The cast will not stay on forever and Beth said you would get back your whole motor function in no time. I mean look at you. You are already on your feet again. Did you have breakfast yet?"

Grace got comfortable in her bed again. She grimaced when her dad mentioned breakfast.

"Yeah. The oatmeal was tasteless and had the consistency of mortar. Uncle Steve promised he would bring me some real food when he comes over this evening."

"Ah, that's why you are okay with him staying with you instead of me. Steve is stealing your affection away from me with food." Danny pouted.

"That's not true. We just both agree that you and mom could use a break. And if you insist that I shall not be alone while I'm at the hospital that was the only way."

"You are our baby. We would stay with you until the end of time. No matter how uncomfortable and knobby the cot may be", Rachel assured. 

"The doc says I'm fine, why don't you consider sleeping at home?" Grace felt loved with both her parents around so much, but she also wanted them to take care of themselves. She knew that cot wasn't good for them since they both had started having back troubles from time to time when they had hit their 40ies.

"Let's see how you're doing at PT today, monkey. If your mother and I feel that you are stable enough that you can make it safely from the bed to the bathroom and back again in the night, it will ease our worry."

"Fair enough," Grace agreed.

Later that day Steve was on his way to the hospital. He was happy to see his girl and thankful that her parents had agreed to let him stay with her as Rachel had informed him earlier via text. When he had seen her yesterday, she had told him how much Danny had liked the bouquet. It put his doubting mind at ease hearing that his husband felt touched by the sentiment. Together they had figured out that Danny probably just was unsure about how to act towards him with his different feelings still towing at him. Grace had explained it to him.

 _"I think while he really loves and misses you, he's also still hurt and angry for the way you handled the situation. Give him time and some space. I bet his longing for you will win out in the end."_

He would stick to that while continuing with `Operation wooing Danny´. The SEAL hummed to the song on the radio and recapitulated what he'd achieved today. 

After the meeting with Kamekona yesterday, he agreed to help find the dine-n-dasher. It may only be about 70,48 $, but no one messes with `Steve's´. That morning the big guy came to the palace to work with a sketch artist on an identikit picture of the culprit. Grover and Jerry had collected the tapes of all the surveillance camera's around the restaurant and were still evaluating the footage when Steve had left. Tani, Junior, and Adam were at a meeting with the DEA to hand over the collected evidence and to close their case. He granted them the rest of the day off.

Knowing the dine-n-dasher case was in good hands and with no new case on the horizon, the SEAL could focus on his plan to woo his husband back. After he had left the office, he had met with Noelani at the local aquarium store the medical examiner had recommended. 

While talking with Grace yesterday, he had mentioned the idea of the fish tank and the sentiment behind it. The girl liked it and suggested where in the living room was the best place to put it. When he had called Rachel this morning to offer to stay with Grace that night, he had discussed the tank idea with her especially regarding Charlie's wish to have one. He had gotten her okay as long as he would explain the `Circle of life´ to her son when a fish would die.

Just like Noelani had promised, the store was the go-to place if you wanted to set up a saltwater aquarium. They had a high variety of different tropical fish on display, including French Angelfish. Turned out that Noah, one of the owners, went to Highschool with Noelani. So, after describing exactly what he wanted to Noah and choosing a tank with the right size for his two new habitants that he also got to pick out, Steve sealed the deal and even got a nice discount and six-month maintenance service for half the price. Since he had decided on a regular and not a special custom made tank, it could be equipped quickly and set up on Thursday. He also had selected food for the fish that would be delivered on the same day.

After his stop at the aquarium store, he picked up a little something for Danny and dropped it off at their house together with Charlie's Fire station and a handwritten note. He also grabbed a couple of Grace's favorite movie DVDs so they could watch them on her laptop that Rachel had brought her yesterday.

Due to rush-hour traffic, he ran a bit late and was a bit disappointed when Grace told him that her parents had already left. Since they only had the Camaro with them, Danny had to drop off Rachel before he could pick up Charlie. 

"You and Danno are truly made for each other. He was sad as well that he wouldn't get to see you", Grace let her Uncle know.

"He was?" Steve tried not to sound as surprised as he felt.

"You should have seen his little pout when mom told him they had to go if they didn't want to get stuck in rush-hour and be late to pick up Charlie."

"He is quite cute when he is pouting", Steve said smiling widely while he envisioned that look on his husband's face.

"I guess if that's your type." She wrinkled her nose. Talking about her father's cuteness factor was weird and she decided to change the subject.

"What's in the bag?" Grace pointed to the linen grocery bag Steve had in his hand.

"Korean Fried Chicken from Zippy's that you like." He put the two food containers on the little table in the corner.

"Thank God, I'm starving."

"I also got us a nice selection of your favorite movies AND Duke came over today and dropped this off. They salvaged it before they towed the car. I charged it for you and it's still working." He handed his girl her cell phone and prepared himself for the high pitched squeal that was about to come. Gracie didn't disappoint.

"Oh my God, thank you! You are a lifesaver, Uncle Steve. Finally, I'll be able to connect with the outer world again." As soon as she had it back in her grabby hands, she was scanning her messenger board.

"Woah… I didn't give it back to you, so you could ignore me. Put it away and tell me about your PT session and what the doc said during rounds," the SEAL requested with a stern voice and set down on the plastic chair next to her bed.

"Sorry, Uncle Steve", she said guiltily and put her phone on the nightstand. Steve handed her her portion of chicken and while they ate she started to talk about her work with Beth. That she was doing better and finally could walk steady enough again that Rachel and Danny had figured she could be left alone for the night. 

Danny still felt a little sad that he'd missed seeing Steve today when he and Charlie arrived home that afternoon. Obviously, his husband had decided to give him way to much space and the blond hated himself for acting a bit like a dick towards the SEAL yesterday. He shouldn't have brushed him off with just a simple `thank you´. He loved Steve so much. He just wished there was an easy way to deal with his hurt feelings and anger towards the SEAL's actions without hurting his husband. He sighed and opened the door. Charlie slipped in beside him and was first to notice what Steve had dropped off for them.

"Uncle Steve brought me my Lego Fire station", the little boy shouted excitedly. On the way back home Charlie had told him all about his Junior Firefighter Group. He seemed to have a lot of fun and to Charlie, the group leader Mr. Kyle was nearly as cool as Uncle Steve and his old man.

Danny closed the door behind him and turned his head towards his son who was standing next to the coffee table.

"The other stuff is for you from Uncle Steve," Charlie announced waving with the handwritten note and pointed to a bottle of wine and a DVD case. 

"You know the drill, Charlie. Homework first, then you can play with your new Lego until dinner and after that till bedtime."

The boy sighed dramatically before he whined, "But Dannooooo…. It's the new Lego Fire station!" 

Danny chuckled. It was a nice try. He would give him that.

"Homework, now. The sooner you are finished, the sooner you can start building it up."

"That's unfair!" He mumbled but started to walk towards his room.

"Nobody said life was fair. I didn't even have Lego when I was your age!" Oh God, he sounded like his father.

Danny set down on the couch and examined what Steve had gotten him. A copy of his favorite movie `Enemy mine´ and a bottle of red wine. He lifted up the bottle and noticed the label. It was his favorite from their wine tasting weekend in Napa. The trip had been a birthday present from his parents the year he had told them that Steve and he wanted to open a restaurant. The blond man smiled remembering the amount of tipsy sex they had that weekend. The wine was pricy but oh so good. He had been very happy when he had discovered that their wine supplier had that wine on stock. But since Steve rather drank beer, they seldomly bought wine. It was a loving gesture that his husband had thought of him and gotten him a bottle. 

Danny grabbed the note and read:

_Enjoy playing with Charlie and later relax and watch Enemy Mine with a glass of wine. I felt so free and bought you a copy on DVD since your old videotape had seen better days._

_I hope to see and talk to you soon,_

_love Steve_

Now it was clear to Danny that Steve wasn't just trying to placate him. A wonderful feeling of love and warmth ran through his body when he realized that his husband was wooing him. He needed to call him and let him know that he was on the right track. But first, he needed to put the wine in the fridge to chill it down a bit. Even in late January, it was to warm in Hawaii to drink red wine at room temperature. He walked into the kitchen. When he opened the fridge, he noticed that it was stocked with fresh food. Apparently, Steve also went grocery shopping for him. He found another little note on a package of chicken breast.

_Since I know you prefer to serve your kids homecooked meals, I bought a few things you can use for easy but tasty dishes. <3 S _

"Damn you, Steven, for being so lovable," Danny murmured, put the bottle of wine in the fridge and closed it again. The SEAL knew how to make him nearly forget that he was rightfully angry with him. It definitely soothed his hurt.

When Charlie finished his homework, Danny sat down with him and helped him a bit with building up the LEGO Fire station until it was time to prepare dinner. He decided on pan-seared chicken breast with some pasta and a light tomato sauce. His son wolfed it down with gusto. Just like his nonna and mother, he beamed with joy when his family liked his food.

After dinner, Charlie went back to his room. The detective would let his son play another two hours before it was time to start the bedtime process. Danny felt light and happy. He had opened the wine and had a glass with dinner, and he poured himself another one before he walked into the living room. 

The Jersey native sat down on his comfy couch and grabbed his cell phone. He just hesitated for a second, but then he dialed his husband's number.

They were in the middle of `Titanic´, a relict back from Grace's girly bonding time with Catherine when Steve's cell rang.

"It's your dad…" the SEAL said with a happy undertone in his voice.

"What are you waiting for? Take it."

"Yeah, okay… I'll go outside."

"Should I stop the movie?"

"Nah, Gracie, don't bother. I already know that the unsinkable ship will sink." 

She flipped him off, but he only grinned at her and left the room.

"Hey, Danny."

"Hey… Steve… am I interrupting something?" He had wondered why the SEAL had taken so long to accept the call.

"No. I'm watching `Titanic´ with Gracie. When I packed some of her favorite movies, I forgot that her favorites consist of boring rom-coms and big drama."

Danny chuckled. Steve smiled. He had missed that sound.

"I just called to thank you for the groceries and the wine and the movie. I'll watch it when Charlie is in bed. It… it's lovely, just what I needed. So, thank you, babe. For the wonderful and meaningful flowers as well. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness you show with those little presents. It means a lot to me and I'm sorry that I was a bit curt when I talked to you yesterday. Bummer that we didn't see each other today." There - he said it.

Steve's heart filled with hope hearing Danny's words. Grace was right. Danny missed him just as much as he missed Danny. But since he didn't want to push his husband, he decided to keep the conversation light.

"Yeah. To be honest, at the moment I would rather watch the slimy birth of that alien in your movie than the upper class/lower class romance enfolding on-screen and Jack's pointless death. We all know that there was enough room on that door for two people."

"Hey, that scene is one of the best in `Enemy Mine´. It's sad that you still can't see the beauty of that cinematic masterpiece. But you are absolutely right about `Titanic´. Rose just had to scoot over a bit." 

"If it had been the two of us, I so would have scooted over to give you room. Easy-peasy."

"I know and we would have started over together with the money we'd gotten from selling that huge ass gemstone."

"And you would have made us live in New Jersey."

"Of course. I know what's good after all. Otherwise, I wouldn't have married you."

Silence.

"Steve? You're still there?"

A deep sigh.

"Danny… do you think we will make it?" The SEAL asked sounding a bit unsure.

"We can make it if we try. Listen, Steve, we have to work through a lot at the moment, and I think it's best we deal with it one day at a time. Are you with me?"

"Always." Steve pledged.

There was that word again. Always. `I'll always be there for you´. It's a phrase that Danny had relied on when it came to Steve. He didn't truly doubt that his husband meant it. And he knew that sometimes it was impossible to fulfill that promise in a physical way. There were a lot of times in which they were separated, and he still knew and trusted that Steve was just a phone call away. Or at least he knew where he was and when he would be back. He understood that the SEAL had wanted to avenge Joe's death immediately and he could have counted on his support. But with the way Steve acted and no way of contacting him, his husband had betrayed that trust in a way. It put a big dent on their relationship. But they were not fully broken. It just would need more than flowers and a bottle of wine to mend that trust. Deep inside Danny still was angry and hurt. They needed a proper talk in person so that the healing process could start. However for that, he needed a clear mind, so it had to wait until Grace was back home.

"Good. I count on that", the blond said after a short pause.

"Do you think I could come over tomorrow and cook dinner for you?" Steve asked hopefully. His husband had agreed to try, and he wanted to get one step closer.

"I would love that," Danny replied in a tender tone that warmed the SEAL's heart in a familiar way.

"Great, then I see you tomorrow." He tried his hardest to subdue his excitement. Best to play it cool.

"It was good talking to you, babe."

"Same here. Enjoy your movie and bit Charlie good night from me."

"I'll do that if you do the same with Grace."

"Deal."

"Good night, Steve and spoiler alert. That ship does sink."

The Commander chuckled at that.

"Good night and sleep tight later."

"See you tomorrow."

"Yeah…bye."

Both their hearts felt lighter after their conversation and with smiles on their faces, they resumed to their evening activities.


	31. Operation wooing Danny - Day 3: Meatball interruptus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some homophobic slur.

Danny had been giddy all day with the prospect of having dinner with Steve. He'd hoped that he could see him at the hospital that morning, but when he arrived after he had dropped off Charlie at school Rachel was already with Grace. His Ex had told him, that the SEAL had been called into work soon after she had arrived to relive him from his Grace watching duty.

Both parents had spent the day with their daughter who got more and more annoyed with them mother-henning over her. Their little girl had a speedy recovery and her doctor was optimistic that she could be released on Saturday.

Since Charlie's class was released early that day Rachel left around noon to pick him up. She would bring him to the hospital so he could see his sister. Danny used that father-daughter alone time to subtly interrogate her about her evening with Steve. He was curious about what his husband was planning to serve him for dinner. You could never be sure about his husband's cooking. In general, it's delicious, but sometimes he liked to experiment, and you would never know what would await you. It could be tasty, gross, or simply weird. Anyway, if it wasn't an easy dish the otherwise tidy SEAL tended to leave his kitchen looking like a war zone of pure chaos.

"So, how was your movie night with Steve?"

"It was fun. He brought me my favorite dish from Zippy's, and he powered through Titanic, The Princess Diaries, and Sleepless in Seattle for me."

"Told you he's a big marshmallow filled with testosterone." Danny smiled at her.

"Well, he draw the line at Lala Land so I will watch that tonight."

"Just remember that he'll probably want to be in charge of our next movie night. So…"

"Don't worry, Danno. I'm prepared for some of those hideous 80's action movies that he likes so much."

"That's my monkey – a martyr like her dad." He kissed her forehead.

"As if you don't like these movies just as much," Grace said and rolled her eyes at her dad.

"Okay, maybe I like them a little … but mostly I watch them to make Steve happy. Talking about Steve, he wants to cook me dinner tonight. Did he mentioned what he's going to make?"

"Since he wants it to be a surprise, all I can tell you is that if he pulls it off you are in for a treat."

"So you do know what he'll be cooking."

"Yeah. But I won't tell you and you can't make me."

"Oh, you sure about that? Okay… let's find out if I can tickle it out of you." The blond detective started to tickle her tummy like he'd used to when his daughter was younger.

Grace started to giggle and tried to push her dad's hands away.

"Stop it, Danno. I'm too old for tickle fights."

Danny sighed but did as she'd asked.

"You'll always be my little monkey no matter how old you get," he said and affectionately stroked her head after he had cuddled up with her on her bed.

"Hey, this is quite comfortable. Do you mind taking a nap with your old man?"

"Since I don't want to break your heart, I'll say yes. But if you snore, you're out, dad."

"Okay. Deal."

"Danno?" Grace asked after a short while.

"Yes, Grace?"

"I'm happy that you and Uncle Steve are trying to work it out."

"Me too, monkey. Me too."

They had been dozing for about 10 minutes when the door opened, and Charlie walked in followed by his mom. Danny looked up and smiled when he saw the two.

"Hey, Charlie!" Grace greeted her brother.

"Your sister and I were a bit sleepy, so we took a short nap," Danny explained laying next to Grace in the bed.

"Oh no! They started the cuddle party without you, Charlie. Quick, join them, but be careful," Rachel encouraged her son. 

The little boy didn't need to be told twice and carefully climbed up the bed to join his Danno and Gracie. Rachel grabbed her phone and took a few photos that she sent to Steve. She knew how much that man loved this family and she wanted to share this cute moment with him.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching some episodes of The Boss Baby: Back in Business on Netflix and while the New Jersey native didn't mind Rachel being there he much rather would have spent some quality family time with Steve and the kids.

Around five Steve had sent him a text asking him when he would be home so he could have dinner ready by then.

After he'd calculated how long it would take to get back to Honolulu, he sent back a reply, arranging dinner at seven and added a `please don't ruin my kitchen´ with a smiley.

Steve's reply came instantly.

_Good to know you have faith in me (frowny face)_

Half an hour later Will and some of Grace's friends arrived to see her. Danny and Rachel decided to give them some time to catch up and took Charlie to the cafeteria to grab some ice cream. Then they went out to the little hospital park. While Charlie was running around releasing some of his pent up energy, the Exes were talking about Grace.

"I can't believe they'll plan to release Grace on Saturday already", Rachel said. When she'd seen her daughter first after the accident, she'd been sure that Grace would have to stay at the hospital for months.

"She is doing so well. But I'm glad she has to stay home for a few more weeks. The food here is really not that great, but my famous matzo ball soup will help her get her strength back."

"Just promise you won't mother hen her to death while I'm away, okay?"

"I'm not a mother hen," Danny argued.

"Hey, if you say it often enough maybe you believe it yourself. Anyway, I'm sad that I can't stay, but there was no way I could reschedule that business trip. So, I thought it would be nice if we would throw her a `Welcome home´ party."

"That's a great idea. I'll run it past Steve, see what we can get organized."

"Mom, Danno! Look, I found a gecko!" Charlie shouted excitedly. He was dangling the poor critter by his tail.

"Let him down, lizard boy. We don't want him to shed his tail", Danny shouted back.

"What is it with him and lizards lately?" Rachel asked. 

"I don't know. Maybe it's him hinting at wanting one as a pet."

"Oh no. He won't get a pet lizard. He can play with the ones that sneak into our house every now and then. That way I don't have to deal with them." Rachel said firmly and shuddered. 

Danny grinned at her.

"Still not a reptile fan, I see?"

"You know they freak me out. When Stan and I moved here and I found one in our bedroom, my first thought was `I should have stayed in New Jersey´." 

"That certainly would have made things easier."

"But you'd never met Steve. I'm still waiting for a thank you note by the way."

"Too sad they don't sell `Thank you for moving my daughter to a pineapple infested hellhole otherwise I'd never met the man of my dreams´ cards at Hallmark's." 

"Man of your dreams, huh?" She teased.

"Well, more of a nightmare honestly but you can't put that on a greeting card."

"Don't kid yourself. You've got it bad for him. I noticed it the very first time I saw you two together. The best example for a `pigtail pulling, opposites attract´ couple. You were clearly uncomfortable with us getting along. You should have seen your face when he accepted the tea I offered. I think you both use annoying each other as flirting. It's kind of cute."

"What can I say? He drives me crazy, but I love him."

"I heard he's making you dinner tonight. Is his cooking any good?"

"Mostly. Hey, did I ever told you about that romantic and very delicious dinner he made for our first wedding anniversary, and instead of homemade Chantilly cake we had a rescue mission to Morocco for dessert?" While he told her all about it, they caught up to Charlie and walked back to the hospital.

Soon after Rachel, Danny and Charlie had reentered Grace's room one of the nurses came in and asked Grace's classmates to leave since visiting hours for non-family members were almost over. Grace's parents decided it was their cue as well and a few minutes later they bit their daughter goodbye and made their way back to Honolulu.

When the blond entered his home at 6:50 p.m. a delicious and familiar smell hit his nostrils. It couldn't be or could it, he thought and followed the scent into the kitchen. 

Steve was standing at the stove and added a little basil to the simmering tomato sauce in the pan in front of him. He was wearing a black apron with a white slogan printed on it that read: Feel Safe At Night – Sleep With A Navy SEAL. It had been a gag gift from Lou who'd been Steve's secret Santa a couple of years ago. On the stove's other burner spaghetti were boiling and, on the countertop, next to the stove was a baking tray with still slightly sizzling meatballs. 

"Are those my mother's meatballs?" Danny made himself noticed. His mouth was already watering. He hadn't had his mom's spaghetti and meatballs since his last trip to Jersey last November.

"Oh, hey Danny. Your right on point. The spaghetti are almost done and yes, it's your mother's recipe." The SEAL beamed at him.

"How did you get her to give you the recipe? I've been asking her for decades," Danny whined.

"Well, she said it would have never tasted right if you'd made them because the most special ingredient is love and you only can properly enjoy it if it was made by someone that loves you."

"And why didn't she gave the recipe to Rachel then?"

"I don't know. I guess you have to ask your mother." Steve steered the saucepan one more time.

"Voila! The sauce is ready, you wanna have a taste?" He offered the wooden spoon to his husband. The blond opened his mouth and welcomed the rich and tasty aroma of the sauce.

"Mhm… so good…exactly like my mom's. God, I love it."

The SEAL was mesmerized by the orgasmic moan that escaped his partner's mouth. If he'd known Danny would react that way, he'd asked Clara for the recipe years ago.

"I'm glad you like it. Why don't you go wait in the dining room while I'll fill our plates?"

"Okay. Need some help with setting the table?"

"No. Already done that. Just pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy." He smiled at Danny, happy to see it mirrored back to him.

"All right, then I await you in the dining room."

The dinner table was nicely set with the hibiscus flower patterned table runner his mother had bought him during her stay while her marriage was at crisis. Topped with a pair of simple crystal candlesticks he'd bought himself to impress Gabby years ago, as well as white cotton napkins. As a centerpiece, Steve had used a pineapple. Seeing that made Danny chuckle. On the table's left corner sat an ice-filled wine cooler with a freshly opened bottle of Danny's favorite red wine. It was probably cheaper by the dozen. It would be great if Steve had some more bottles of it somewhere. 

He poured himself a glass and sat at his usual spot on the table. A few minutes later Steve served him their dinner nicely arranged on the dishes they normally only used on holidays. While the SEAL put down the plates Danny pulled him a glass of wine as well.

"It looks delicious and after tasting it earlier I know it will be a feast. And you didn't ruin the kitchen too much. Thanks for cooking my favorite dish for me, babe," Danny uttered his gratitude and gently squeezed Steve's hand after he'd sit down next to him.

"Don't let it get cold. Let's eat. I'm starving after the long day I had."

"Yeah, Rachel told me you'd got called into work. Will I see you on the news tonight for blowing up half of the island?" He stuffed his face with the first fork of spaghetti and meatballs.

Steve's face lid up like a Christmas tree at seeing with how much gusto Danny was eating his meal. He took a bite of his own plate before he answered his husband's question.

"Nah… I doubt that case made the news even if it probably should have. On Monday Kamekona asked us for help with a dine-n-dasher at the restaurant. This morning Jerry finally found him while scanning the security camera's footage. He found a match in the DMV database. It was the 16-year-old Jordan Rice. We drove over to the Rice's house, but Jordan's `lovely´ father told us that `his disgraceful faggot of a son´ was no longer living with them and that he won't be held responsible for whatever that `disgusting freak´ had done wrong. Then he slammed the door in my face."

"What an asshole," Danny mumbled in between bites.

"If Lou hadn't stopped me, I would have kicked in the door and shoot him in the foot. How can he treat his child like that? He's supposed to love him unconditionally." Steve was furious. 

"I'm right with you, babe. People like him don't deserve to be parents. In an ideal world, he would join PFLAG and not kick his son out for being gay. Sadly, there's not much we can do against the narrowminded. Did you find Jordan, though?"

"The Rice's neighbor came over to us. She told us that Jordan was attending Kukui Highschool, but she didn't know where he was living right now. His grandparents are living on the mainland. So Lou and I met with Kamekona and told him what we'd found out and we all came to the conclusion that his case resembles Nahele's and that Jordan isn't mean spirited by nature. Then we all drove to Kukui High and talked with the headmaster. He called Jordan to his office and we sat down with him. He regretted that he left without paying and apologized immediately. He is living in his car right now, but nobody knows about that. Not even his boyfriend Ryan. He was too ashamed to tell anyone. Jordan is working after school at a supermarket to save up for college because he knows that his dad will not pay for his tuition. It was Jordan and Ryan's first anniversary and he wanted to treat Ryan with a nice date at a fancy restaurant. In the end, the bill was higher than he'd planned. He had asked Ryan to wait outside while he handled the bill but bailed. because he was ashamed of having to admit that he hadn't had enough money."

"As well as I know you, I can guess where the rest of this story goes." The detective smiled and took another bite.

"Kamekona agreed to let Jordan work of his debts and will employ him afterward so he can earn additional money for college. And Flippa's friend Luka who is a counselor at the LGBTQ center got him a place at their youth shelter, so he doesn't have to live in his car any longer. When we drove off later, I saw him get hugged by his boyfriend. I guess he finally told him. The boy looked so relieved when we left as if he could finally see a bright future again."

"I know I'm repeating myself, but that is why I love you so much, my half-baked cookie."

They shared a tender smile.

"I love you too, you know that, right?" The SEAL needed to make that clear.

"Yeah, of course, I know that. That's why it hit me so hard that you went searching for revenge without telling me. And please don't bring up that voicemail again. You should know better than leaving without at least letting me know where you are. You haven't done anything like that since you went searching for Shelburne. We are partners in every sense of the word and I still can't wrap my head around why you didn't tell me. It's killing me that our relationship is so estranged right now. I need you to talk to me. Please tell me why you left me out at first and kept me at arm's length later." Danny looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Danny… I…"

At that moment, the Commander's cell phone rang. Steve pulled it out of his pocket.

"Excuse me… I… I have to take it. It's the Governor." 

"Of course it is. God forbid we get the chance to have a proper talk." He forcefully forked up some more spaghetti. 

Steve guiltily got off the table and answered the call. The timing couldn't be worse.

"McGarrett."

Danny studied his husband's posture from the corner of his eye while munching on a piece of exquisite meatball. The longer the call continued the clearer it became to the blond that the evening was ruined. _Meatball interruptus_ he thought and snorted. 

A minute later Steve ended the call.

"I'm so sorry, Danny. They found chunks of a human body in the feeding buckets for the shark encounter at the Waikiki Aquarium. Apparently, they emptied one bucket into the tank and the visitors saw a foot and left the aquarium screaming. The Governor wants 5-0 on the case. It needs to be solved asap. Bad press will scare off the tourists. You know how she is. I would call Grover, but they are out celebrating his brother's birthday and you know the Governor is not really keen on Adam and the kids handling high profile cases alone. After my impromptu stint of absence, I don't want to antagonize her further."

"Okay. Give me a few minutes…" Danny began and was about to stand up.

"No, Danny. Not that I don't want you working with me but come on. I cooked you your favorite meal. You are official of duty. You should stay home. Don't let this delicious food go to waste. I promise we will continue our conversation as soon as the case is closed, yeah?"

The detective sighed. Would they ever be able to have that talk? Did Steve even really wanted them to talk it through? To Danny, it felt a bit as if Steve was giving off `Safed by the bell´ vibes. He hated to let him go like this. At least the case sounded safe enough for now that he wouldn't constantly worry about the taller man.

"Just promise me to stay safe. Let Junior watch your six."

"Will do." He went out of the room to fetch his weapon.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and I bought some bread and mutz at the New York-style deli on Kalia Road you like. Thought you would like to make a meatball sub for lunch with the leftovers." He announced to Danny after he got ready to leave the house.

"And here I thought I couldn't love you more." The blond smiled at him. Steve grinned right back at him and then walked out the door to find the bad guys.


	32. Operation wooing Danny - Day 4: Under the sea

Danny's Thursday had been pretty eventless so far. Grace was right on track on being released this Saturday and Steve was mindful enough to inform him via text how the case went and that he was still alive every time he got the chance. So far, they had found the victim's hand and could identify him with his fingerprints.

His daughter was bored out of her mind though, but he was able to lighten her mood by sharing his meatball sub with her that he had prepared for lunch as Steve had suggested. Afterward, they had taken a short walk through the park. They had just settled back into Grace's room when Rachel's cell phone rang.

"It's Charlie's school", she said with the same slight panic in her voice that Danny was feeling right now. As a parent, you never want to get a call from your kid's school.

"Answer it", the blond urged her.

"Hello?"

Danny and Grace observed her while she was listening to whatever the person on the line had to say. Scanning her facial expression in hope of finding out what had happened.

"Yes, okay. Thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure someone will be there to pick him up." Danny's ex said after a while and ended the call.

"Is everything okay with Charlie?", the detective worriedly asked Rachel.

"Yeah. His English teacher Mrs. Kim had gone into premature labor. They couldn't find a substitute on this short notice, so they had to cancel that class. They just called the parents to inform them that the kids will be let out at 2 pm instead of 3:30."

"2 pm? Talk about short notice. I can make it if I hit the road right now or do you want to pick him up?", Danny asked his ex-wife.

"No, you pick him up. It is your night with him anyway and Grace wanted me to help her work out how to apply her makeup with the cast on."

"Then I'll leave you two to the arts of beauty." He kissed Grace's cheek and got up from his chair.

"Are you planning to come back to the hospital with Charlie?" Grace wanted to know.

"Nah... It's best if I take him right home. Now that he knows you're okay he will get bored here quickly."

"Tell me about it," his daughter said with an eye-roll.

"I see you tomorrow, monkey. And remember, Danno loves you."

"Love you too, dad."

The New Jersey native had been on his way for about 15 minutes when he reached a traffic jam. Since it was too early for rush hour Danny rolled down the window of his car and tried to watch past the Dole truck in front of him. That stupid thing probably was loaded with pineapples. In the distance, he could see blue lights flashing. Great an accident. Just what he needed. If traffic wouldn't clear up soon, he would be late. He got out of the car and walked towards the scene looking for the officer in charge. Halfway there he ran into a traffic officer. Since 5-0 was famous among HPD, the policeman recognized him instantly.

"Detective Williams? I didn't know that 5-0 is involved with this."

Danny scanned his nametag.

"We are not involved, officer Aukai. I was just on my way back to Honolulu to pick up my son from school. What are we dealing with?"

"Truck vs. mini-van. The truck overturned after impact. He had problems with the brakes. The whole road is blocked. The truckdriver semes fine. HFD is still working on getting a mother and her toddler out of the mini-van. I was sent out to keep the people calm. We will block the nearest ramp shortly so the cars can turn around and find a detour. Salvaging the truck will take a while."

Danny sighed. Fucking great.

"Could you define shortly and a while for me?" 

"Hard to say. Maybe 20 to 30 minutes until it's possible to safely turn and drive off the highway. Clearing the road will take hours, though."

Shit.

"Thanks for the info, officer Aukai. I guess I've to wait in my car then."

Aukai nodded and both men went their separate ways.

On his way back to his car, Danny pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed Steve's number. _Please pick up_ , he thought.

His husband answered on the third ring.

"Hey, Danny. How is Grace?"

"Grace is doing good. They'll release her on Saturday. But that's not why I'm calling. Listen, Charlie's school called. They let the class out at 2 pm instead of 3:30. I was on my way to pick him up. However, there was an accident on H2 between Waipio and Pearl City. A truck overturned and now the road is blocked. I won't make it back to Honolulu on time. Can you pick up Charlie?"

"Of course, sure. I just finished up with Noelani at the morgue. She and her interns were finally able to put Humpty Dumpty back together. The cause of death was a shot to the chest. I wanted to bring the bullet to ballistics, but I'll ask Adam or Jerry to do that for me. Tani and Grover are interviewing the Aquarium staff and Junior is with the widow to find out if our victim had any enemies or if she can remember something odd since they arrived on Oahu. The couple came to Hawaii to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. Our victim went to the ice machine on his floor at the Waikiki Grand Hotel to get them some ice for their drinks on Tuesday night and never came back. Jerry is checking surveillance. We need to find out how he got to the Aquarium and why."

"I hope you guys find the perp soon." Danny set down in the Camaro again.

"Me too. The Governor expects results before the weekend."

"Well, it's an election year. She needs to prove she still got it. So she will run a tight ship until she gets reelected or we hopefully get a new Governor." It was no secret that 5-0 wasn't Mahoe's biggest fan and vice versa. She often called their task force inherited waste and had wanted them gone since she was elected. But it was only after Chin and Kono had left that she really started to try to force them to close down. Going so far as offering them a ludicrous meager gratuity for early retirement. And while Danny had been thinking about retiring for a while he declined. He wanted to retire on his terms and nobody else's. So when her bribe didn't work, she gave Steve an ultimatum to find a replacement for Chin, supporting it with the ridiculous argument the task force needed at least 4 members with military or police background. That's why Steve had been so keen on recruiting Tani. They were running out of time by then. Neither of them regretted the decision though, even if it seemed a bit rushed at the time. Out of spite, Mahoe had cut off 20% of their budget.

"I'm so rooting for Brandon Jacks."

"Same here. I imagine that it would be much easier working for him, since you know, you rescued his little brother Bradley by skydiving after him."

"At least I would expect a bit more mutual respect, but we'll have to wait and see. When will you be home?"

"I'm not sure. Hard to tell. They are working on diverting the traffic. The officer I talked to was saying we can drive on in about half an hour. But the detour route will be packed as well for a while. I hope to make it home in an hour or so. Can you keep Charlie with you until then?"

"I tell you what since we are nowhere near a breakthrough with this case, I'll pick him up and wait with him at home until you get here."

"But what will the Governor say when she finds out that you sit at home with an eight-year-old during an ongoing investigation?" Danny said with a snarky undertone. He was still a bit disappointed that Steve left him to go to work last night.

"I'm sorry that I left you with only delicious meatballs for company. Maybe I should have tried to reach Grover or be more adamant regarding Adam, Tani, and Junior starting the investigation alone, but when I talked with Mahoe on Monday, she made it pretty clear that if we don't do as we are told, shutting down 5-0 would rise up on her agenda. It was hard enough for me to reason with her to grant your leave."

The blond could hear the regret in the SEAL's voice, and he sighed.

"Don't worry about it. I get it, babe. She is a cutthroat bitch, and she is out for blood. I had a similar talk with her when I was in her office to explain your absence."

Steve felt even more awful hearing that. His rush decisions not only hurt his husband it also caused him trouble.

"Danny, I'm so sorry for leaving like that. I…"

"Please, Steve. Not over the phone. We'll talk it through in due time. Now go and pick up my son." Fuck, their timing sucked, Danny cursed internally.

The SEAL took a deep breath.

"Okay. I love you, see you soon."

"Yeah, bye babe." With that Danny ended the call. Now that he knew that Charlie would be in good hands, he scanned his GPS to find a quick detour back to Honolulu.

After Steve had stashed away his cellphone he went back to HQ. He still had a few minutes before he had to head to Charlie's school. Jerry was standing at the tech-table.

"Hey Jerry, you found something yet?", the Commander greeted the other man.

"It's tricky. We have our victim Mr. Banks and a suspect caught on camera near the vending machine. They are talking and then they enter the elevator. But the guy definitely knows his angles. I couldn't get a clear picture of his face. I'm running what I've got through the databases. Maybe it's enough to find a match. I printed out a photo. Adam is assisting HPD with questioning the hotel guests and staff."

"Any luck with the elevator cam?"

"No, sorry. The camera got broken by some teenagers playing around with their surfboards. The hotel staff had replaced it yesterday morning. So we don't know on which floor they left."

"Check the camera recordings of the hotel's underground parking garage. He had to get Banks to the Aquarium somehow."

"Will do."

"Hey, Steve. Any leads?" Junior asked when he entered HQ.

"A picture of maybe a third of a face. Jerry and Adam are trying to identify the suspect. How was it with the widow?"

"Urgh… what I was able to understand in between her heartbreaking sobs was nothing out of the ordinary. They arrived Monday evening, had dinner at the hotel restaurant. Spent most of Tuesday at the beach, went to dinner at the RumFire. After they got back to their room her husband wanted to try out the mini-bar and left the room get them some ice for the drinks."

"So they never went to the Aquarium?", Steve clarified. 

"No. They are from Atlanta. Mrs. Banks said they have a big Aquarium there, so they hadn't planned to visit the Waikiki Aquarium," the younger SEAL explained.

"Then where is the connection?", Steve wondered out loud. Then he pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket.

"That's the bullet Noelani found in Banks' chest. Get it to ballistics. Maybe they can track down the murder weapon." He handed Junior the bag. "I have to go and pick up Charlie. Danny got hold up in traffic. Keep me posted on the case. If nothing comes up, I'll be back at HQ in about two hours."

The SEAL had nearly reached Charlie's school when his phone rang. 

"McGarrett?"

"It's Drew from the Aquarium store. We are on our way to your address to install the fish tank you ordered. ETA 2 pm. I just called to make sure that someone is home to open the door."

Steve frowned. He had totally forgotten about that. What should he do now? He couldn't be at two places at once. His team was busy working on the case. Kamekona and Flippa are scheduled to set up their truck on the Northshore on Thursdays. So they were out as well. The morgue was close enough to their house that Noelani could make it there on time. Before he left, she told him that she only had to write her report, so he could ask her for a favor.

"Thanks for the heads up. Someone will be there when you arrive." And if not, he hoped Drew would wait a few minutes for him to return from picking up Charlie.

"Okay. Great. See ya."

Steve had arrived at Charlie's school. While he waited for the little boy near the door, so he could easily see him, he dialed Noelani's number.

Thankfully, the medical examiner agreed to help him out. The SEAL had told her where to find the spare key so she could let Drew in and promised to be back asap.

Charlie was happy to see him. He told the boy about the Aquarium and that got Danny's son all excited. On the way to his car, he sent his husband a quick text.

_Collected precious cargo ;-) On our way home now._

When Steve parked his truck in front of the house he'd been sharing with Danny and his kids for the last couple of years the Aquarium store's van stood in the driveway next to Noelani's car. Steve sighed relieved. His plan had worked.

Entering their home Steve and Charlie were greeted by Noelani, Drew, and his colleague Keo who was finishing fixing up the tanks plumbing. 

"Where are the fish?" Charlie asked enthusiastically.

Drew grinned at the boy's excitement. He pointed to two plastic buckets.

"They are over here but be careful we don't want them to be stressed before they enter their new home."

While Charlie went over to look at the fish, Steve thanked Noelani for the quick rescue.

"No problem. Commander. You can ask for my help anytime," the medical examiner assured.

The SEAL smiled and then started to engage in a conversation with Drew and listening closely as the other man explained what you had to look out for with keeping tropical seawater fish.

Danny was irritated when he finally arrived home. Instead of the anticipated 30 minutes, it took HPD nearly 45 to get the cars in the traffic jam rerouted. It took another 10 minutes until he was off Interstate H2 and steering towards his chosen detour. And just like he'd predicted the Kamehameha Highway was full as well and traffic was slow. 20 minutes later he got onto Interstate H1 and could head towards Honolulu at a faster pace. All in all, it took him nearly two hours for a normally 30-minute drive. 

The blond got out of his car. While he stretched his legs a bit, he got aware of his surroundings and noticed that not only Steve's truck was in his driveway but Noelani's car as well. Being familiar with his husband's tendencies to let the medical examiner patch up minor wounds the detective's alarm bells were ringing. He dashed towards the house and quickly opened the door. But instead of on a medical emergency his eyes land on a huge fish tank standing at the wall that separated the living room and the dining room. It stood on a cabinet base that blended in nicely with the rest of his living room furniture. Noelani, Steve, and Charlie were all looking at whatever sea creature was living in the tank. His husband was the first to notice the blonde's presence. 

"Good, Danny, you're home!" the dark-haired man greeted him with a bright smile.

Steve's words made Noelani and Charlie aware of Danny as well.

"Danno!" the little boy shouted excitedly "Come look at the fish. They are so cool."

"What the fu… frog is that Steven?" The New Jersey native demanded to know in a not amused tone. He just avoided using the f-word and used a kid-friendly term instead.

"It's our new aquarium." Steve was slightly unsettled by Danny's reaction so far. Noelani gave him a pitiful look.

"I can see that, but why is there an aquarium in our living room?" The smaller man was rubbing the bridge of his nose and sighed.

The SEAL could see all the signs of his husband being enraged and his heart broke. It had seemed like a lovely idea, but obviously, he had fucked up. He had the explanation of the meaning behind it in his head but all of a sudden, the words weren't able to leave his mouth.

"It's a surprise!?" was all he could say. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because it only fully activated Danny's rant-mode.

"What is the matter with you? You don't install an aquarium in your house without asking your partner first."

"I asked Rachel and she was okay with it", Steve argued.

"Fantastic! He asked a person that isn't even living here. That makes it totally okay. Will this become a new habit of yours? Taking action without consulting me?"

At that, the Commander flinched like he'd been slapped. It seemed as if Danny was clearly not on the verge of forgiveness regarding the whole Montana incident. Steve's defense mechanisms kicked in.

"Well, partially it's for Charlie as well, so I got an okay from one parent since I never would get him a pet without checking in with at least one of you," the SEAL tried to make his case. He got more and more upset with Danny acting all deprecative. 

"I would rather have you talk to me instead of to a person who isn't affected by this", Danny yelled.

"What about `It's a surprise´ did you not understand?" Steve's voice had gotten louder as well.

"Usually you don't surprise someone with living creatures, Steven."

"Danno!"

The voice of his son caught the detective's attention.

"Don't you like the aquarium?" The little boy's excited beam had faded due to all that yelling. 

Big, sad eyes and a pouty mouth were directed at Danny and his anger fizzled out. He hated seeing Charlie like this. The blond decided to push the unfinished argument with his husband aside in favor of reviving his child's joy. He walked over to the fish tank and kneeled next to his son.

"I'm sorry that Steve and I yelled at each other. I just wasn't prepared for a surprise like this. A bit like you felt when mommy told you that Stan wasn't your real dad, but I was, remember?"

Charlie squinted as if he was thinking about what his father had said and finally nodded. Danny smiled and felt relieved. He finally took a look at the tank and noticed that there were only two dark bluish fish with a yellow pattern in the tank. One was quite bigger than the other. They were of a tropical breed he couldn't name.

"Will you tell me about those fish? What are they called?" 

"They are French angelfish, and their names are Tol and Smol. Uncle Steve named them. They are both boys. Uncle Steve and I watched a documentary on the animal channel. Those fish mate for life. Just like you and Uncle Steve. Drew from the aquarium store told us that Tol and Smol were practically inseparable since the breeder put them together into the juvenile tank and while normally the smaller ones turn into girls, Smol didn't. They are very protective of each other. Drew said Smol is especially feisty. They didn't really get along with other tank mates. That's why no one had picked them for their aquarium until Uncle Steve came to the store." 

All of a sudden Steve's intention hit Danny. This fishy couple was a symbol of their relationship. Installing this tank was another romantic gesture. He felt a bit guilty for starting an argument with his husband. The SEAL had only meant well.

While Danny and Charlie were looking at the tank, Noelani had stepped over to Steve.

"I'm sorry the surprise didn't work as planned," she said and gently squeezed his bicep.

The SEAL sighed.

"I guess it was a bit over the top, but he'll get used to it."

"Wait a minute, is that the Newark and the Honolulu skyline in the background?"

After hearing Danny's question, Steve walked over to the tank.

"I asked Eric to design the picture of the mashed up skylines so that the guys at the aquarium store could print it out on rear wall foil," the taller man explained.

Steve's heart felt lighter when he saw the happy, surprised look on his husband's face. It was what he had hoped for all along.

The detective was surprised at how much thought of detail the SEAL had put into this meaningful present and he couldn't help but happily smile at the taller man. Newark and Honolulu. Steve and him – both melting together beautifully despite their differences. He felt the urge to hug his husband and apologize for his harsh initial reaction and so he got up from kneeling next to his son and pulled the dark-haired man into his arms. When Steve put his arms around him in turn it felt like coming home to Danny.

"I'm sorry that I argued with you. I was already in a bad mood because of being stuck in traffic for so long. You getting a fish tank installed just rubbed me the wrong way at first, but know I understand," the shorter man mumbled against Steve's neck.

"I only wanted to surprise you. Charlie was so excited about Noelani's aquarium when I picked him up on Sunday. Then we watched that documentary. I thought it was a nice idea."

"And it really was. I like it and them. Even if you gave them such ridiculous names." The blond chuckled and nuzzled the SEAL's cheek. Then he got serious again.

"I just don't know anything about fish as pets."

"Noelani promised to teach us and especially Charlie how to take care of the fish and until we are up to par someone from the aquarium store will come over once a week for maintenance."

"You really have thought about everything, didn't you?"

"When have I ever not thought something trough?" 

"Well, where do I even start?" Danny began his response.

"Wait, on second thought, don't answer that."

"Uh-uh. No backsies."

"But Danny…"

Noelani and Charlie were grinning at Steve and Danny's antics. The cozy atmosphere was disturbed by the SEAL's ringing cell phone. The taller man released his husband out of the embrace and answered the call.

"What's up, Jerry? … Yeah, okay. I'll meet the others there. Good work, buddy."

"Breakthrough on the case?", the blond detective asked him.

"Jerry could identify the car in which our suspect drove off with the victim after he had injected him with something." 

"We'll find out what it was when the blood work comes back," Noelani assured.

"I know. In the meantime, we'll pay the owner of the car a visit. Noelani, will you get Danny and Charlie started on the fish care tutorial?"

"Sure. No time like the present."

"Be careful, babe. Remember the inscription of your watch," the blond pleaded. 

Steve smiled.

"Believe it or not, Danny but it is always on my mind when I go out in the field."

"Go get the bad guys, Uncle Steve!" Charlie chimed in into the farewell.

"I'll do my best, buddy. Have fun with Danno and the fishies, okay?"

The little boy nodded.

"I'll call or text you when I got a minute," Steve promised his husband and with that, he left the house.


	33. Operation wooing Danny - Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Knowing that I'll be busy the next week, I decided to cut down this week's chapter into two parts, so that I can update next week as well.
> 
> \--------------------------------------S<3D-------------------------------------------------

The lead about the car was a bust. The family that owned the car was skiing in Aspen and their house sitter claimed she didn't notice that it was stolen out of the garage. They had taken her into custody but released her after her alibi was confirmed and they couldn't find a connection between her and their victim. 

After that, it had been back to square one for them. They put a search alert on the car. A patrol car officer found it near the airport. CSI didn't found DNA, hair, or fingerprints. Jerry was still scanning airport security footage for their suspect. But if you asked Steve, that guy was a pro and parking the car near the airport was a red herring. 

Later that evening Tani and Grover came back from the aquarium. They had interviewed all employees but one. Julie Okama from the feed supply department didn't show up for work this morning. She should have returned back to work after her vacation that day. Surprisingly, her employee access card had been used Tuesday night. Tani asked the aquarium's IT guy to show her their security footage. Their system was old and the quality very bad. Black and white and grainy. All she could make out was a person with the same physique as their suspect carrying two large garbage bags inside.

Steve was tired. They had no lead on their suspect nor were they closer to identify him. While they now knew how he got inside the aquarium they still had to find the crime scene. And they had to find out if Julie helped their suspect or if he had stolen her access card. The Commander hated slow going cases. Normally Danny's determination and patience kept him going. And from time to time his husband would drag him into the storage closet to kiss him silly when he was close to losing his patience. Believe it or not, but that helped him refocus. Since the blond was off duty the SEAL had to motivate himself. The sooner they solved the case the sooner he could concentrate fully on fixing his relationship with the detective. He was about to call it a day and maybe go see Danny and Charlie again when Adam came into his office.

"CSI had read out the car's GPS. It definitely was at Julie Okama's house."

"Then we should speak with her", Steve said, and they were off to her address.

"She's been dead for at least 52 hours," Noelani's colleague who was on call tonight told them. 

Adam and Steve had found Julie dead with a slid throat in her apartment. They had also found their crime scene. Julie's bathroom looked like a slaughterhouse. They had to wait for the blood sample results, but the SEAL was pretty sure that Banks was chopped up in there. With the amount of blood in the room, he was still alive when he was cut down. There were smeared bloody footprints leading from the bathroom to the front door. But their suspect had probably been wearing some kind of plastic overall that even covered his shoes, so they couldn't make out the profile of the sole. All they knew was that he was wearing a size 11 or 11,5. And so far, all fingerprints CSI had found belonged to Julie. It only manifested Steve's belief that they were dealing with a professional assassin. 

"So our suspect stole the car, drove to Banks' hotel, drugged him up, drove over to this apartment, killed Julie, chopped our other victim, stole her access card and then bagged up Banks' pieces and mixed them into the feeding buckets at the aquarium," Adam resumed. 

"Yeah, We know the how. But we still need to find out the who and why", Steve said.

Back at the palace, Grover was awaiting them together with the rest of the team. 

"While you were over at Okama's apartment, I got a call from a detective Jane Rizzoli from Boston PD. Apparently, Robert Gandolfo, a high ranking member of the Boston Italian Mafia was released from prison last week. And since then two members of the Jury who convicted him guilty were found dead. Both chopped up and were found in aquariums. One in Newport, Kentucky, and the other in Monterey Bay, California. Our victim Carl Banks was part of the same Jury. Detective Rizzoli thinks that Gandolfo sent his best man, Joey "The Fish" Ciampi after them. Starting with Jury members living out of state by now. Trying not to raise suspicion back home in Boston."

""The Fish"? Let me guess, he got this name because he takes the term `sleeping with the fish´ very literally," Tani chuckled. 

"Yeah. Normally they find pieces of his victim's bodies in the Boston harbor. I guess since Kentucky has no ocean, dumping him into the aquarium was the next best thing and he found it so funny that he kept up with it. Rizzoli said that they couldn't prove anything so far. Ciampi is like a ghost. He has no known address, and the Gandolfo clan has a huge legal team behind them," Lou continued.

"Did detective Rizzoli send us a picture of Mr. Fish?", Steve asked.

"She has. It is a nice match to the image we got from the hotel's footage."

"Great. Now, all we have to do is find the guy. Pass all his details over to HPD. Let's hope he is still on the island."

That has been yesterday evening. But so far, they had no luck. Jerry had found nothing on the airport departure footage. Now that they had a name and a face, he had started on the arrival footage. Steve had gotten a few hours of sleep on his office couch before he briefed the Governor. To his surprise, she seemed pleased with their investigation so far (probably because she could tell the press that there was no tourist killer on Oahu) and told him to keep up the good work. Since they had still no new lead on "The Fish", he decided to visit Grace after his meeting with Mahoe. 

After Noelani's very educational tutorial about how to take care of Tol and Smol, she helped him set the timer for the automatic fish feeder. Using this helpful tool, they only had to feed them themselves in the morning and in the evening. It might get tough when he was back at work, but he was positive that at least one of them would make it back home for a quick feeding while working a case. His son was really into it and took notes while Noelani told them what and how much to feed them and how to check the water quality. Danny invited her to stay for an early dinner and they'd ordered some Chinese. 

After Noelani had left and Charlie was playing in his room, he'd gotten a call from his mother. He told her that Grace would be released on Saturday and thanked her for giving Steve her Meatball recipe. When she just answered with a simple `you're welcome´ and didn't askes nosey questions, the detective knew something was up. Turned out she was really upset. Apparently, Bridget got promoted and had to move to Seattle. Clara was questioning over and over again why her babies kept on leaving her. Even while he was still alive, Matty had been traveling for work a lot and was barely home. Then Danny had moved to Hawaii. A while after Eric had gone to college, his mother Stella thought it was time to get herself some education and started marketing courses at Newark's community college. Through her professor, she got in contact with a big advertising company in New Orleans. So around the time, Eric came to work at the Honolulu crime lab, Stella moved to the Big Easy. And now Bridget was moving as well. To top it all some of their closest friends were considering relocating to one of those senior villages in Florida, while their next-door neighbors, the parents of Stella's best friend in Highschool and Danny's first crush, were planning to move to San Jose, California to live near their daughter whose husband was working for Adobe Inc.. Clara and Eddie were starting to feel left alone in their community. She started to paint a picture in which she never again would have her whole family at home together for the holidays. Danny tried to cheer her up by noting that she always wanted to travel, and she now had a reason to do it. His mother told him that she'd talked about that with his dad. They were doing okay financially, and Eddie wanted to buy a camper. Danny thought that was actually a good idea. But his mother reminded him, that she hated camping. Before the blond could try to convince her that it would be different with just the two of them in comparison to their family camping trips in the past, Eddie hollered that Blue Bloods was about to start. When he started the Police Academy, his parents became huge crime show fans. Clara had sighed and said she would call again soon.

The talk with his mother got him thinking. What would he do when his kids left the nest and even might move to live on the mainland? He hadn't thought that far ahead into the future since he made that list that started their short journey as restauranteurs. To be honest, the only thing he was sure about right now was that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Steve. No matter how crazy and challenging that might be. Right now his husband and the whole HPD were hunting down a Boston mafia hitman. The SEAL kept him posted. Just like he normally did whenever they had to separate. Danny sighed. They really needed to talk, get to the core of the whole Montana incident. So far fate had always found a way to prevent that conversation from happening. _Soon_ he said to himself and went into Charlie's room to get his son ready for bed.


	34. Operation wooing Danny - Day 5: Hernandez playing first

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite part of the wooing chapters and the last one. I even cried a little while writing it. So be gentle with your comments.
> 
> \----------------------------------------S<3D---------------------------------------------

It was still early in the morning when Steve arrived at the hospital. Nevertheless, he was surprised to find Grace alone in her room. She was just finishing her breakfast or rather the fruit part of it since it was the only thing resembling tasty. The SEAL was pretty sure she would appreciate the little something he brought with him.

"Hey, Gracie. Good morning," he greeted his favorite girl.

"Good morning Uncle Steve. What's in the bag?" She pointed to the brown paper bag in his hand.

"I stopped at Liliha bakery on my way here. Thought you could use some calories in form of delicious malasadas."

"You are the best!" She beamed at him. 

While they shared some of the sweet treats, they talked a bit. She told him how happy she was that she only had one more night to spent at the hospital and he spoke about his current case. Of course, in the end, they came to Danny and him. A subject that couldn't be avoided at the moment.

"I don't know what to tell you, Grace. One moment I think we are getting there, doing better and then he gets angry at me again. Like yesterday when I surprised him with the fish tank. He later apologized, but to be honest, I slowly start to believe that he will never truly forgive me and that is killing me."

"Uncle Steve, listen to me. Failure is not an option in this case. My dad is stubborn, but he has a giant heart. He loves you too much to call it quits. So don't give up on him either."

"You're right, Grace-face. I think it's time to bring in the big guns." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called one of Kamekona's resources. It was time to confirm the purchase.

After he made the deal, Steve looked at his watch and was surprised that neither Danny nor Rachel had arrived by now.

"Where are your parents today?" He asked the Williams daughter.

"Mom has to pack for her business trip. Her flight leaves on Sunday. She said she would be here this afternoon after picking up my brother from school. Charlie has to be at school for the second period today. Danno has to drop him off before driving up here, but he should arrive any minute now."

There was a knock on the door and a nurse and Grace's physical therapist entered the room. The nurse took away her breakfast tray and told her she would be back to check her vitals again later.

"Okay. Ready for PT, Grace?" Beth asked after the nurse had left the room.

"I'm ready to get out of here."

"And that you will tomorrow. So, today I want to focus on how to handle day to day tasks with your cast."

Steve kissed Grace's cheek and got off the chair.

"You are in good hands and it's time for me to head back to work. I see you tomorrow at home."

"Good luck with finding the perp."

"We do our best." After a last warm smile, he left the room and nearly ran into his husband.

"Oh… hey Danny. Good morning. How are the fish doing?" Steve asked him sheepishly.

"Good morning to you, too." Danny smiled at the SEAL before he continued his answer. 

"Charlie fed them before we left this morning. Now it's up to the timer thingy to keep them alive until I can feed them tonight. Noelani's tutorial was very helpful. Are you on your way to the palace?"

"I am. I just wanted to see Grace beforehand. You know, start the day with something happy and refreshing."

The blond smiled again.

"Yeah, my monkey has that effect on people. I'm so glad we can get her home tomorrow."

"Oh, about that. I talked with Kamekona. He will deliver some nice Italian pasta dishes from Steve's and Adam is working on some decorations for her `Welcome Home´ party. Grover said Will has an important Baseball game tomorrow. So Renee will be there to support him alongside his classmates. Our team will hopefully have caught `The Fish´ by then so that we can be there when you guys arrive with Grace."

"Thank you for taking care of everything, babe."

The two men looked at each other for a moment. Danny seemed to be in a good mood, so Steve thought it was the right time to test the waters. He collected all his courage and began to speak.

"I miss you, Danny. Let me come home. I love you, baby and I'm really sorry."

Danny could see how hopeful and apologetic his husband looked and a part of him felt sorry for putting him in the doghouse, like Grace had called it, after what had happened to Joe, but damn it – it wasn't easy for him either. He knew they needed to talk before he could fully welcome his husband back home, but with Steve working again and him still at the hospital most of the day there was just no time for that. They had tried several times already. It wasn't something to resolve in passing or over the phone. The blond man sighed. He didn't want to crush the SEAL's hope.

"I miss you too, Steve. But with this new case, there is not much room for us to have a proper talk. As soon as Grace is released and the case is solved, we will work it out, okay?" He pleaded with Steve to understand. They couldn't dig deep with the chance of getting interrupted again looming in the air.

There was a pause while both men looked at each other with sadness in their eyes. But there was fear in Steve's eyes, too. The SEAL had done his best to show Danny how sorry he was and had tried to make it up to him. It's been four days now and he felt like he was no step closer to being forgiven. The little argument they had yesterday made that pretty clear. The taller man started to worry that the blond was just stalling and trying to find the right way to end their marriage for good. That he would leave him like the other very important people in his life. 

"Are we over?" He asked Danny heartbrokenly.

"Do you want us to be over?" answered Danny with a counter-question, sounding like Steve's question was the most preposterous thing he ever heard.

"No, of course not! Never!" How could Danny even ask that?

"Then that's your answer," Danny said cryptically. In passing, he gave Steve a soft, barely-there peck to the corner of his mouth. Then he went into Grace's room where her last physical therapy was about to start.

Steve looked after his husband confused. It took him a moment to understand Danny's underlying message. As long as Steve didn't want it to be over, it wasn't over, because deep inside Danny still loved him. The SEAL remembered something the blond once said to him during a shared night of passion. `I'll always give you what you need, babe.´ Steve just needed to be patient and never lose his faith that Danny would hold up to this promise.

On his way back to work, he stopped at a collectible store near Pearl City to pick up his purchase. Since the store was owned by a friend of one of Kamekona's relatives Steve got the Ohana discount. Even with that, the object was still pricy, but Danny was worth it. 

On his way back to his car the SEAL got a call from Tani.

"Boss, Jerry found something on the airport's arrival footage. `The Fish´ traveled here using one of his aliases. We checked that with his bio that detective Rizzoli had sent us."

"Did you check if there is any info on a return ticket?"

"We did, but as far as we could see he came here with a one-way ticket."

"Did you check with all his known aliases?"

"Nothing on any of them."

"This is an Island. He has to show up at the airport sooner or later if he wants to return to Boston."

"Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is on alert. Just to cover all bases we also keeping an eye on the cargo ports in case he decides to take a long ass detour via ship."

"Good. Keep me posted. I'm on my way to HQ."

"Okay, boss. See you when you get here."

Steve had been on the road again for five minutes when he got a call from HPD.

"Hey Duke, what do you got for me?"

"Steve, a motorboat was reported as stolen at the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor this morning. Security footage showed how Ciampi entered the boat."

"The fuel of a motorboat will never be enough to reach the mainland. Duke, please alert the authorities on Maui, Big Island, and Kauai. I think our perp wants to fly out from one of their airports."

After he ended the call, Steve sighed. This was going to be yet another long day for 5-0. He just hoped he would get the chance to drop off his surprise for Danny at their home.

When the detective came home that evening, he was excited. Danny was looking forward to this part of the day. He could get used to being wooed by his husband. He was already wondering with which romantic gesture Steve would surprise him this time. Would it be something nice and simple like the flowers from day one or something crazy like the fish tank yesterday? That thought reminded him that he had to feed Tol & Smol before he would do anything else. If he forgot they might end up swimming belly up.

So, after he had entered his house, he went straight to the tank with his two new colorful roommates. They were still alive and gracefully swimming around. It seemed as if the timer on the automatic fish feeder had worked and had disposed the right amount from the flaky stuff into the tank. To follow Noelani's instructions all he had to do now was to give them some of the frozen Mysis Shrimp and his fish should be happy.

Walking into the kitchen he noticed that there was no special prepared meal waiting for him. He opened the freezer and mentally crossed out food from his possible surprise list. As he took some of the shrimp from the package, a sad thought crossed his mind. He hadn't detected something out of the ordinary in the living room either. What if Steve decided to stop the wooing after their talk at the hospital earlier? The dark-haired man had wanted to come home, but he had asked Steve for more time. The SEAL had been afraid that they were over. Danny had done his best to make it clear to his husband that that wasn't the case. Had he overdone it with testing the taller man's patience? What if Steve hadn't understood his subtle message and had given up on them? 

Suddenly the blond didn't feel all that excited anymore. He put the shrimp package back in the freezer, rinsed of the portion he had taken out, and brought it over to the tank to give Tol & Smol their dinner. He scanned the room again and still couldn't make out any sign of a surprise from Steve. He sighed and decided not to panic. It didn't mean anything. Maybe the SEAL just was out of ideas. 

He walked into his bedroom to get changed before heating up some leftovers for dinner. That's when he noticed the white, little, flat gift box with the red ribbon on it laying on his pillow. He cursed himself for doubting Steve. With a few quick steps, he was at his side of the bed and lifted the giftbox's lid. On top of some tissue paper, that was still hiding the actual surprise, lay a small greeting card. With childlike curiosity, he opened the card to read Steve's message to him.

_Dear Danny!_

_Man, it was tough to get this. Shops for it are not that common in Hawaii. I bet it would have been easier on the mainland. Fortunately, Kamekona knew a guy. Anyway, I was told that because of its age it is quite rare (like the love we share) and for that a bit pricy. But it is worth it because I know how much it means to you, even if you tried your hardest to play it down when we first talked about it. Now you can call it your own again. In memory of our first `I love you´ and us moving in together,_

_yours always_

_Steve_

Danny's thump lovingly stroked over his husband's signature. He felt his heart starting to beat a bit faster in anticipation when he turned the tissue paper away. His eyes went wide when they land on the 1986 Keith Hernandez baseball card. He set down at the edge of the bed and his eyes teared up when he thought back to the talk Steve had mentioned in his card.

_~ About 4 years ago ~_

_Steve had just moved in with him and Danny had made some room for his boyfriend's stuff. While putting away his Navy gear onto the top shelf of the bedroom closet, the SEAL had found his boyfriend's TOPPS baseball card set of the 1986 New York Mets World Series Winner team._

_When the detective came into the bedroom, Steve was sitting on the bed and was looking through the collector album._

_"No wonder you remembered the 1986 Mets line-up so well," Steve said when he noticed Danny._

_"Okay, I confess. I loved to collect baseball cards as a kid. Back in Jersey there a couple more of those in the attic at my parent's house. But the team of 1986 is my favorite. I kept it with me when I went to college, when I moved in with Rachel, when I moved out when we separated and when I moved to this pineapple infested hellhole that feels more and more like home because it's a connection to you."_

_Steve grinned at him at that. Danny just rolled with his eyes and kept on telling the baseball cards' story._

_"On bad days, and there were a lot of them in the past years, I like to look at it. It remembers me of my ten-year-old self and the hype and happiness I felt back then when my favorite team won the World Series. For me, it's a symbol that everything is possible."_

_"It is indeed," Steve said and pulled Danny in for a kiss. Both men were happy that they had found each other and from now on would be living together._

_"But I noticed there is one card missing." The Commander pointed out as they got settled next to each other on the bed._

_The Jersey native sighed._

_"Yeah. Keith Hernandez, playing first base. I sold it to pay for Rachel's engagement ring."_

_The SEAL whistled._

_"I didn't know they are worth so much."_

_"Funny, that's exactly what she said when I told her. I can still hear her emphasize that they are just baseball cards." The blond man snorted._

_"Honestly, it's not like it was one of the Mickey Mantle cards from the 50ies, but it was a good amount of money for a beat cop who was aiming to make detective and needed a little financial boost."_

_"Why did you never bought it back?" Steve asked curiously._

_"Well, a tiny romantic piece of me always dreamed that Rachel would buy it back as a present for our anniversary or my birthday. But since the slot is still empty you would guess correctly that that never happened. I buried my hope when I signed the divorce papers. She kept the ring, though. And I don't know, maybe she was right all along. At the end of the day, it's just a baseball card."_

_Steve put the album on the nightstand and snuggled up with the detective._

_"Good that we are together now. I promise that you never have to buy me bling. Because…"_

_That was the moment the SEAL started to sing in a soft voice:_

_"Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey."_

_"Dear lord, I think I have to break up with you because of your horrible taste in music. Whoever still listens to Kenny Loggins?"_

_"How can I not know this song when my boyfriend's name is Danny. It's called `Danny's song´ after all. To be honest I found it while I was looking for some notes for the guitar you bought me."_

_"Did I ever tell you that you are a sappy goof?"_

_"Is that a bad thing?"_

_"No. I love it. Keep it up."_

_"Maybe later. Now I rather christen our new bed."_

_Since they couldn't decide whose bed to keep, they had decided to buy a new one. Danny's old bed had first gone into Danny's guestroom. Later, after they'd found out about Charlie and they'd set up the guest room as the little boy's room, they sold the bed to Jerry._

_"Sometimes your ideas ain't that bad."_

_"Do you ever shut up?"_

_"I think you know exactly how to make that happen."_

_Steve had rolled on top of him and gazed deep into his eyes. As if he could reach out to his soul with just one look._

_"I love you, Danny," he said sincerely and tenderly caressed the shorter man's cheek._

_"Now who is talk…mhm…"_

Steve had shut him up with a kiss then. And they christened their new bed. Danny never had made such sensual, slow, and sweet love with somebody before. All those lingering touches and kisses. And not to mention the closeness. They had held onto each other way after they'd climaxed and fallen asleep in each other's arms. Waking up had been sticky and a bit icky, but it was worth it. God, how he missed that closeness right now.

Danny tried to swallow a sob. Steve had remembered that talk and had seen right through him. He had sensed how much the card still meant to him. He bought it back for him. So, in a way, his husband had made his romantic dream come true. 

All of a sudden, he had the urge to hear the SEAL's voice. He grabbed his phone out of his pant pocket and dialed his husband's number.

TBC…


	35. I get so emotional baby, everytime I think of you

The stolen motorboat didn't have a GPS tracker and the coastguard had come up with nothing so far. Steve felt like he was going to get stir-crazy having nothing to do than sit and wait. He was pacing through his office like a tiger in a cage. His team was in contact with the other island's police and their airport's security. Jerry was scanning `The Fish's´ credit card transactions, hoping he would purchase an airplane ticket with it that would give away from where he was planning to depart. The SEAL was dead set on not letting the man escape. The Governor expected nothing less from her taskforce. 

In between team meetings and conference calls with the other island's authorities, he had found the time to write Danny a card and to drop off the baseball card. Now his mind drifted to his husband. He had been in contact via text with the blond over the day to keep him posted about the case. After his last `nothing yet´ the detective had informed him that he was on his way back home. Now it was past seven. Danny should have found the little package on his pillow by now. It was sad that this case didn't allow him to see his husband's facial expression when he opened the little gift box. While he pictured the surprise and awe on Danny's handsome face, Steve's cell phone rang. He was pleased to see that it was his blond detective.

"Hey, Danny! Did you found my surprise?" The SEAL greeted him curiously.

"I can't believe you bought Hernandez back for me." Danny sounded gobsmacked and overjoyed.

Steve smiled widely. The last ace up his sleeve was a success. 

"I love you, baby. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you", he said in a warm and promising tone.

"So you actually paid for it. No sudden wallet blockage?" Danny teased while he enjoyed the butterflies, he felt in his stomach at Steve's loving words.

The SEAL chuckled. Of course, his husband had to tease him about that.

"I might have gotten an Ohana discount, but yes. Actual money had left my wallet to purchase the baseball card."

"I want you to come home so we can talk," Danny blurted out.

"You're sure? What happened to waiting after the case was solved?"

"Screw what I said before. We'll talk now… unless you don't want to talk." Suddenly the blond felt a bit unsure. He could hear a deep sigh at the other end of the line. Danny knew exactly what that meant. It was Steve's reluctance to open up. Thank you, Navy, for teaching your men how to bottle everything up and not to talk about their feelings. But Danny wouldn't be his partner if he didn't have a way to make his husband talk. 

"Babe, how often do I have to tell you that showing vulnerability is not a weakness? Do we have to go see our therapist again?"

"Danny…I…it's hard to explain everything to you because I'm afraid you'll hate me," Steve admitted his biggest fear to his husband.

This time it was Danny who sighed deeply.

"I could never hate you. But while you traveled around the world to avenge Joe's death and I didn't know where you were, I hated myself for loving you so damn much from time to time. Because I started to believe that you needing me was all in my head."

"What? No, Danny..." Steve tried to interrupt his husband, but the blond man carried on.

"I mean while after all you've been through, you're not fine, but you could be so much worse off. I've seen so many war veterans who faced battles and lost comrades and friends. You are not drinking excessively nor are you taking drugs to numb your emotional pain. You don't have aggressive outbursts. You are brooding way too much for my liking sometimes, but you are not suicidal depressed. You can still see the good in life. You are dealing pretty well on your own in comparison to others as far as I can tell. So when I learned about Joe's death and the only thing that came from you was that stupid voicemail, when day after day passed and you didn't call me for help or just talk, for the first time in our romantic relationship my negative side reared his ugly head. I know it's stupid, but I started to question my importance in your life. Add that to my worries and you can start to understand how miserable I felt."

It pained Steve having to hear Danny's words. When he'd made the decision to leave his husband out of his revenge plans, he'd never thought that it would hurt the blond so deeply. But he couldn't allow Danny questioning how much he meant to him.

"Oh, Danny… You are everything to me, baby. Please never doubt that. I'm dealing as well as I can, yeah, but that is all because of you. I would be a mess without you. All those years ago I came back home to Hawaii to find my father's murderer, but I stayed for you. I fell deeper in love with you with every day we spend together. When I saw you at Freddie's funeral, it felt as if I could finally breathe again. You're always the first person that can make me smile on a shitty day. When you are on the mainland, I change my ringtone for you to "You are the sunshine of my life". I can enjoy life because I have you and the kids. I need you so much, baby. In the beginning, you were my moral compass. You ground me as my anchor. You're my lifebelt. Without you, I would drown."

"Only you can make nautical terms sound endearing and romantic," the blond tried to joke while he did his best to keep his tears away. He had never gotten such a sweet love declaration before.

"You know I am a romantic at heart."

"Cath would disagree."

"Well, she never was as special to me as you are. And I am so sorry for how badly I treated you after Joe…" here he stopped for a second. He wasn't able yet to use Joe's name and any form of the word death in one sentence. Yes, his mind had realized that his mentor was dead, and he was immediately set on revenge. But so far, he didn't really mourn him. His soul had not had the time to process and accept the loss of his fatherly friend. He compartmentalized it. He had to because right after arresting Hasan, he had to focus on Danny and fixing their relationship. His actions had consequences that were more important to deal with than properly mourn Joe. Steve just wasn't sure how long he could hold the grief at bay. Right now he needed to finish his apology. He sighed before he started to speak again. 

"I kept you at arm's length after you arrived in Montana when all you offered was your help, your love, and comfort. At the time I had my reasons and I know I owe you an explanation. But believe me, I never meant to hurt you." 

The sincere honesty and regret in Steve's voice touched Danny to his core. Deep down he knew how his husband felt about him otherwise they wouldn't be married. They were on a good way to talk it out. Danny was so close to getting Steve to tell him why he acted the way he did. He needed to know that to be able to make his peace with it. But again the current case interrupted them. The SEAL's next words broke the spell.

"Hey, Lou is coming over to my office. I put you on speaker", Steve told Danny when he saw Grover on his way to approach him with what looked like important news.

"Steve, we got him. Junior and Tani have scanned all boarding lists from flights that are leaving from Maui, Big Island, and Kauai. One of Ciampi's aliases is on the list for the 9:50 pm United Airlines flight from Maui to Denver. We couldn't detect it because he actually used Banks' credit card to buy the ticket. We have to go. Adam is already organizing a helicopter," Lou informed the SEAL after entering his office.

"You guys should call Maui Airport so they can delay the boarding process," Danny offered his advice. Timing was everything and they would have to wait a while longer to continue their heart to heart. The blond might as well help move the case along.

"Oh…hey Danny. Still thinking with a detective's mind even off duty. I will get to it on the instant." With a short nod to Steve, the Chicago native left the office again to inform Maui's airport security.

"You heard him, Danny. I have to go."

"I know, babe. Just do me a favor and don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Danny…what? I never…" Steve started to defend himself, but the blond didn't let him.

"I know you, babe. I'm your partner for nearly nine years now. I can already see you rolling around ideas in your mind and let me tell you – one of them is more stupid than the other. I'm afraid without me, there is nobody there to stop you. The kids will just think it's a cool plan. Adam wouldn't be able to detect stupidity because he thinks it is a good idea to play around with the Yakuza and you long have corrupted Grover. He isn't the law-abiding man we met five years ago anymore."

The Commander rolled his eyes at Danny's words. His husband still wasn't a fan of calculated risks on the job.

"And I know you just rolled your eyes at my valid worries."

Steve smiled. His husband knew him so well.

"I promise that I will try to solve the situation without putting the team or myself in unnecessary danger. Is that enough for you?"

"If you add not using explosives, I'm game."

"Danny, I'm not going to blow up the airport."

"Just be careful," the shorter man pleaded.

"Don't worry. Closing the case and coming home safely in time for Grace's party is my top priority."

"I will hold you to it, babe."

"I love you, Danny. I have to go now. Bye," Steve hurried to end the call because Lou waved him over to the tech table.

Before Danny could say that he loved Steve as well, the line was already dead.

~3 ½ hours later~

Danny knew it would take the team 45 minutes to reach Maui via helicopter. So they would make it in time to stop `The Fish´ from leaving the island. He tried his best to occupy himself with simple tasks like putting on fresh sheets on Grace's bed and clearing out the dishwasher so his mind wouldn't drift to the possible dangerous op that hopefully would lead to Ciampi's arrest. 

At half-past nine he ran out of things to do, so he turned on the tv. With every passing minute, he got more and more anxious. He hated not being with Steve in the field. The ice hockey game that was on couldn't distract him for long. Then he remembered his little session in front of Sarah's aquarium when he'd been at Chin's and was worried sick about his husband. Automatically his eyes land on his own fish tank. Tol and Smol were chasing each other around – their version of bickering as Danny had figured out. Just like their human counterparts. Watching his fish's antics had the same calming effect as the last time. He needed to properly thank Steve for getting him the aquarium. But first, he needed to have him back safely on Oahu.

When the time of the scheduled departure had passed and he still didn't hear anything from his husband his anxiety came back into focus. He was starting to check his phone every minute. Then finally at 10:15 pm, his cell rang, but when he saw the caller's name on the screen his blood turned to ice. It was Grover. That only could mean one thing and it wasn't anything good. 

Oh god, no! Why did he wait so long with allowing Steve back home? He loved his SEAL so much. He should have forgiven him sooner. Now he might never get the chance to make up with his husband. The taller man could be facing death right now believing that he was still mad at him. His SEAL didn't even hear him say I love you back when they last spoke. With regret and shaking fingers he accepted the call.

TBC…


	36. Sailing home again

"Please tell me he is not dead!" Danny shouted before Grover could even say hello. He struggled to keep the fear of losing his husband at bay. He couldn't live with himself if Steve had died not knowing that he was forgiven and loved.

"Calm down, Danny. Your boy is alive," Lou assured the panicked detective.

"Thank god! Otherwise, I would have made a pact with a demon to bring him back just to kill him again for any stupid stunt that got him killed in the first place. Wait, if he is alive, then why are you calling me and not he?", the blond ranted.

"We are currently at the Maui Memorial Medical center. He is getting checked out. His shoulder needs to be popped in again and he probably has a concussion. He told me to give you a call, so you wouldn't worry too much," Lou explained.

"What the hell happened, Lou?" Danny demanded to know.

"`The Fish´ is really good at escaping the net if you know what I mean. Well, we arrived at the Maui airport. Their security explained everything to United Airlines and the cabin manager told the passengers that boarding would be delayed because of a problem with the onboard air condition."

"Brilliant move. I would have done something similar."

"Anyway, Ciampi was already patiently waiting at the flight's gate alongside his fellow passengers. He was unarmed otherwise he wouldn't have made it past security. So, Steve thought it would be best and safest for all if we didn't just ambush him but discreetly convince him to follow us."

"The one time he thinks before acting I'm not there to witness. Great," Danny complained.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?" Grover was annoyed by yet another interruption.

"Sorry, carry on."

"We figured Ciampi would smell a rat if we would just call him out over the airport's loudspeaker. But Tani came up with the idea that I should approach him playing a tourist."

"You play a mean tourist with all your Hawaiian shirts…"

Grover looked at him sternly. Danny held up his hands.

"Okay, okay. I won't interrupt you again. Please continue."

"So, since Steve had seen me in my golf-couture before, he immediately liked her idea and was sure that I could pull it off. Tani and I grabbed some items from the gift shop, and I switched clothes. Adam gave me his compact pistol he uses as a backup gun. Then I walked into the gate area and set down next to our perp. I started with touristy small-talk. You know, the weather, the beaches, the bikini-girls. My outstanding game of Par. I wanted to know if he also plays golf. He answered `sometimes´. I asked if he'd seen the awesome golf clubs in the sports equipment store over at gate 15. He shook his head no and I suggested, that while we have to wait, we should go over and look at them together. He said he wasn't interested. That's when I pulled out the compact pistol and nudged it against his ribs while I emphasized that he should really take a look at the clubs. I get him to stand up, told him it was time to go. Then all of a sudden, he screamed `Fire´ and panic broke out. A woman with a giant handbag bumped into me while running towards the emergency exits. Ciampi used that to his advantage and got a hold of the gun and escaped. The rest of our team had taken position at the different escape routes. Ciampi used the one closest to Steve and McGarrett took up the chase. The rest of us followed suit. `The Fish´ ran all the way towards the arrival terminals. He tried to escape through the exit shaft at one of the baggage carousels and you know Steve, he had to go after him."

"Of course he had to." Danny still remembered how his husband had jumped after a perp into a sand-grinder. "So, how did he end up hurt?"

"Do you remember Die Hard 2? Because I believe whatever happened next must have been similar to the scene in which John McClain fights those guys between the baggage conveyor belt system. When we caught up with them, luggage was lying around everywhere. Ciampi was unconscious with a heavily bleeding gunshot wound in his leg, and Steve was rubbing his head with his left hand while his right arm was dangling limply at his side. That's how we ended in the emergency room with him, in a nutshell." 

Yeah, Danny remembered that scene. Steve and he loved the Die Hard movies.

"By now I think all people with Mc in their name are insane", the blond exclaimed.

Grover chuckled at that.

"Anyway, as soon as our fearless leader is patched up, I will accompany him back to Oahu. I hope you will be there to pick him up because Mahoe needs a representative from 5-0 for her press conference and I can't drop him off at your house right away. The rest of the team will stay on Maui to deal with Ciampi. He is still in surgery. With all we have against him, he will spend the rest of his life in prison."

"Good. That is where he belongs. Thanks for keeping me posted."

"Of course. I think we can be back before midnight."

"Just call me when you are close, so I can be there to pick up my Animal."

"Will do. See you later."

"Yeah, bye."

After the call ended Danny felt relieved. His husband was going to be okay and they had the chance to make up and reunite. He was going to bring his SEAL home where he belonged. He needed him close. That was all that mattered. Being together should always be all that mattered. The blond felt slightly guilty for keeping Steve at arm's length for so long.

~1 hour later~

As soon as Grover had given him the details about the landing, Danny had hopped into the Camaro and drove over to the Ala Wai Heliport. He had been waiting in the Heliport building for about 5 minutes when Steve and Lou came through the doors. While the dark-haired man walked right towards him, Grover stayed back to thank the helicopter pilot.

"What is the matter with you? Reenacting the luggage conveyor belt scene from Die Hard 2 is not what I had in mind when I told you to be careful!" Danny ambushed the taller man as soon as they were in hearing distance.

Steve sighed. Of course, his husband was overreacting again.

"Calm down, Danny. I'm alright. It's just a minor concussion. Ciampi conked me with a suitcase while he tried to escape. But then I shot him in the leg. And I popped my shoulder when we fell down an upwards belt after I jumped him. The doc popped it back in. No Biggy." 

"No Biggy my ass. Grover told me that it took the medical staff three tries until they could properly reset your dislocated shoulder and that they probably have to operate the next time it happens." 

Lou had passed on to him what Steve's physician had told him when he had called Danny about the flight details.

"What happened to physician-patient privilege? The doc had no right to tell Grover and Lou should have never told you."

"Don't change the subject. You are a trouble magnet and the only thing I can do is to take you home, where I can have an eye on you and can make sure you don't die on me. Who'd thought that not having you close would be worse for my blood pressure and sanity than riding shotgun in my own car with you driving like a maniac?" The blond was in his element actively ranting and talking with his hands.

"Are you done?" the taller man asked. He was so not in the mood for an ongoing Danny-rant. Even when he knew that that was the shorter man's love-language for him.

"Am I done? I haven't even started. I…"

Steve had enough. He pulled his husband to his chest and wrapped his arms around him. It was the best way to shut Danny up. Worry and anger left the New Jersey native and he melted into the SEAL's loving embrace.

The hug was everything their hug in Montana had supposed to be. It was `I'm sorry´, ' Thank you for being here´, `I need you´, `Don't let go´. But also `Don't give up on us'. The blond was flooded with emotions and he was clinging to the SEAL. The taller man gently caressed his husband's neck and tenderly kissed his forehead. Touching Danny always helped to calm the detective down.

Danny looked up at him. His eyes had gotten a little wet. 

"Steve…" he sighed. He was happy to be so close to his husband again. He was about to kiss him to show the taller man that they were on their way to being okay again when Grover approached them.

"Awe, look at you two. You are in love again," Lou quoted wise woman Kono.

"Oh no! I hate him. He will be the death of me someday," Danny protested and pulled out of Steve's embrace. But he was kidding no one.

"No, Danny. You know Grover is right. You totally love me." The SEAL smiled smugly. After their hug, he felt confident that they were on the right track to fix their relationship.

"While you two will figure it out, I'll head to the Governor's office to attend her late-night press conference about the arrest of mafia hitman `The Fish´."

"Thanks for standing in for me", the Commander said gratefully.

"Steve, you have just been put through the ringer. Of course, I'll stand in for you, man."

"You heard the man. Let's drive home so we can finish our talk, G.I. Joe," Danny teased light-heartedly. 

"That's the Army and you know it, but yeah. It is time to sail home," Steve pointed out his belonging to the Navy.

#############################################  
For all of you who haven't seen Die Hard 2, here is a link to a YouTube video of the scene I mentioned:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZawPPHMzyE


	37. Baby can I hold you tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come...
> 
> \----------------------------------------S<3D---------------------------------------------------

To Danny's surprise, Steve didn't argue when he slid into the driver's seat. The drive back home was silent. Both men clearly in thoughts. 

The blond would make sure that once home Steve and he could finally have an honest talk about what had happened. While he believed him when he originally had said he just wanted to keep him safe, Danny knew him well enough to notice that that was only half the truth. Steve was holding something back. It was gnawing on his husband. Danny thought it might have something to do with Steve still not wearing his wedding ring. 

When they made it home, it was way after midnight. They entered the house together. Danny went into the kitchen and grabbed them some Longboards. It was his signature move after a hard day. Then he sat next to his husband on the couch. Steve had leaned his head back and his eyes closed. But when he felt Danny's presence next to him, he opened them again and focused his look onto the blond. Danny passed him one of the beer bottles.

"Thank you," Steve said and took a sip. Danny drank as well and then waited patiently for a few minutes, hoping they would have that talk. But when Steve stood silent, absentmindedly fiddling with the bottle label the detective had enough of it. He cleared his throat before he tried to initiate the conversation.

"So…"

Steve looked at him like a spoked animal but understood that the time had come. He put the beer down, sighed loudly but finally began to speak.

"I'm really sorry, Danny. You have to believe me."

"I know that you are sorry, Steve. But I still need an honest answer to why you left me out. I get it you wanted to protect me, but there is more to it, isn't it?"

Steve sighed again. He should have known that his husband wanted more than an apology. He already did that a few times without real success. 

When the SEAL went silent again, it was Danny who sighed loudly.

"Listen, you want to fix this, don't you?" 

Danny sounded unsure all of a sudden. Steve couldn't have that.

"Of course, I want to fix this. I need us back."

"Then why can't you just talk to me?"

"Talking about it is hard." He confessed, looking at his hands, his wedding ring still obviously missing.

"Nobody said it would be easy. But sooner or later you have to talk to me because I don't think we can move past this if you don't." He took his beer and emptied it with a few gulps. He was a bit disappointed, but they had come a long way already and maybe, after the day Steve had, a heart to heart was too much right now. His husband was safe and home and hadn't that been the day's goal? Danny put his bottle down. Maybe a couple of hours of sleep would do them some good. They could talk in the morning. He had until noon before he had to pick up Grace at the hospital. Satisfied with his plan it was time to let his husband off the hook for now.

"I don't think this will get us anywhere tonight, babe. I'm tired. Let's just go to sleep." With that, he stood up and went for their bedroom.

The SEAL was left behind feeling perplexed. He was surprised that Danny was okay with letting him off the hook that easily. What was he supposed to do now? He desperately wanted to stay. What did the blond mean when he said `Let's just go to sleep´? Was it the couch for him? Could he dare to hope to return to their bed? He slowly walked over to their bedroom. The detective was in the ensuite bathroom doing his nightly routine. Steve could hear him gargle. He went to the dresser and grabbed a pair of his sleepwear. Then he returned to the living room to change.

A few minutes later Danny went to bed. The taller man still hesitated to go into the bedroom again. His husband didn't ask him to leave and didn't give him sheets for the couch. Did the blond want him in their bed again? In the end, it was the detective's voice that stopped Steve's train of thoughts.

"Don't stand there lurking at the doorstep, Steven. Come to bed."

"I can?" He sounded unsure.

"I didn't ask you to come home, so you could sleep on the couch." Danny pulled the covers up for his husband. Steve, still unsure about his welcome, slowly walked over to the bed and slid in next to the blond. They fell silent for a few minutes. But then Steve finally found his voice. While Danny had offered him more time, the SEAL came to the decision that his husband deserved the truth now. It was time to rip off the bandage and to come clean.

"The initial reason I only left you a message and didn't ask you to come over…I…in the academy we had that one instructor – had been in the field for a real long time, we all thought he was a source of wisdom. He once told us, that after a lost battle, the best you can do is stow away your grief and focus on the anger. Then regroup and keep on fighting. You would have enough time to grief when the war was won. With you there with me…I know you always want to comfort me, and I think if I would have let you, I would have broken down in your arms not being able to stop crying."

"But your SEAL training kicked in and stopped you from letting that happen. Because you needed to toughen up and keep your eyes on the mission" Danny explained the rest to himself and slid closer to Steve who was too far away for his liking.

"Yeah. Even if a part of me just wanted you there to make everything better" Steve avowed sheepishly, pressing his face into his husband's neck. Thankful that Danny had offered more closeness.

Danny smiled sadly at that. Happy that his husband was finally ready to open up to him, he tenderly caressed his nape. That would also explain why Steve was kind of an asshole when they first meet. He hadn't had grieved for Freddie and his dad back then. He had been with Steve when he had finally grieved for those men. He came to Freddie's funeral and of course, never left the SEAL's side in the hospital after Wo Fat was gone for good and his husband was nearly drowning in emotions. He would be here for him now, too, so he started the conversation back up.

"I see, that was what you meant when you told me you had to block out all possible distractions."

"I guess I could have used nicer words to deliver that message."

"That you could have. Maybe then I wouldn't have gotten even madder at you."

"I'm sorry."

"I know but I sense there is more to this story since you started with it being the initial reason."

"You really want to get to the bottom of this, don't you."

"You know me, babe. I know you can do it and it will be good for us." Danny encouraged.

Steve sighed 

"Okay, as the days went by, I found even more reasons to not get you involved. And one reason really was to keep you safe. Not because I think you need protection. It's just… Joe, I couldn't save him."

"It wasn't your fault, babe, and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. You know that don't you?"

"That's what Catherine said, but I think I just wasn't ready to listen to reason then."

"Oh…yeah… Catherine, who you called for help instead of me." Danny sounded a little annoyed. 

"I called her because she was close to Joe too and, as much as I like her, she has nothing on you. Losing her would hurt me, sure, but losing you would destroy me. It is probably cold-hearted from me to say, but when it comes down to you two, she is expendable." Steve wasn't proud saying that, but for him, it was the truth. He could live without her, but not without him, not anymore. He could survive everything if he just got Danny.

Danny didn't know what to say to that. He already knew from his conversation with Cath that Steve just saw her as an asset for the mission when he called her. But his husband didn't seem to await a response from him. He paused for a second, then started to speak again.

"So, I couldn't safe Joe and I was afraid, that when we would find each other in a similar situation, that I would lose you too. Not calling you meant you were safe from me failing you."

"Oh, you failed me alright, not just in the way you were afraid of. See, I made my peace with taking risks when it comes to you. Because I trust you to have my back, just like I have yours. As always. Like we still had in the end over there. Denying me to really be there for you, it hurt. It hurt so bad, babe. You have no idea!"

"Believe me, by now I realized what a shitty husband I was," Steve said ashamed.

"It wasn't your best moment. By the way, how come you didn't try to send me back home when I finally got to Montana?"

"Because I was too weak to let you go. Cath was right. I needed you. Even if I couldn't admit that to myself at that time. Your presence alone gave me the right amount of comfort I could handle at that moment."

"Then why did you keep me at arm's length?" Danny asked confused.

"That is the other, more important reason I didn't call you. I didn't want you to see me that way. I know what I probably had to do. I don't like that dark side of me. I wanted to keep you and the person you made me, the person I want to be, separated from that situation. So, I put my ring off before I … you know. I didn't want it to get stained with blood. Couldn't have it anywhere near that filth. The way I got the intel in my days as a SEAL and in Intelligence, it always made me feel a bit sick and sometimes even just plain bad. But I did it for my country or in that case, for Joe. I'm used to compartmentalizing. I learned it during my days in the Navy. But this time? I just couldn't shake that feeling off. Not after I saw your face before Cath closed the door. I knew then that you had seen the monster I became. I wanted nothing more than your comforting touch, but I just couldn't let you close. I didn't want to pollute you. God, do I even make sense?"

"You do babe, I kind of felt the same after Reyes. I couldn't really come home before you came and found me at my special spot at the overlook. Finally talking to you helped."

Steve nodded, acknowledging Danny's words but determined to get it all from his chest, he kept talking.

"I fear a part of my soul might be permanently tainted. That part of me – it can never be associated with you, with us, our family. Later, I couldn't even put my ring back on. I didn't feel worthy of it…of you. I thought, how can you love when I'm so messed up? Yeah, I was avoiding you, and whit that, I ended up hurting you even more. I'm so sorry, baby." The last few words were not more than a sob. 

Finally, it all made sense to Danny. His remaining anger vanished and all he wanted to do was to console his husband.

"Oh babe!" he said and pulled Steve closely in his arms. 

The SEAL buried his face into the soft fabric of Danny's sleep shirt. His tears were falling freely now that he could find solace in his husband's arms.

"You're not messed up. I never saw a monster at the cabin, just a hurting and grieving man failing to deal with it all alone. I didn't think less of you - I could never do that. I love you, all of you! Everybody got a dark side. You saw mine when I beat up that asshole that kept that little girl buried somewhere. Did you think less of me then?"

Steve was just shaking his head. He initially had been a little shocked because Danny was all about correct police procedure. But he found a way to help Danny with taking his badge, understanding that it had to be done. He was close to doing it himself, so Danny wouldn't have to. But he hadn't thought less of him.

"And when I killed Reyes in cold blood? Did you love me any less then?"

"No – never!"

"Do you remember what you said to me after Matty's death? Not at the overlook, but later when we had the session with the counselor the governor had made us see? After you confessed that you had been afraid you might lose me to my grief, guilt, and self-hate?"

"Told you … nobody was perfect … and that … I … would love you … no … matter what, because … we're worth it," Steve mumbled against Danny's chest in between little sobs.

"Then why did you think it would be different for me?"

"Was so … so afraid … you wouldn't want me … anymore … I'm sorry, Danny! So, so, sorry, baby. Shit…couldn't think straight… after Joe died. God! Joe is dead, … died in my arms. I lost him. He is gone, Danny! He's gone." With that Steve's crying intensified. It was the first time he said it out loud. His wall had crumbled down and his dam broke, releasing all the emotions that he had bottled up for weeks. He turned into a weeping and shaking mess. All Danny could do was hold his husband through it. 

"Sh… babe … I'm here for you now. You can let go. I got you. Danno loves you. We will get through this together."

Steve kept crying for a long while, letting it all out. Danny held him in his arms. Rubbing soothingly over his back, kissing his forehead lovingly, tenderly brushing away a few tears all the while telling the SEAL that he was loved and forgiven and that he would always be there for him. That it would get better with time. Danny wished he could just magically take Steve's pain away. But it seemed as if all these raw and intense emotions were just too much, even for his normally so strong SEAL. 

At some point, Steve's tears receded and he felt to sleep. Danny was still awake, still holding his husband close to his chest, so he could feel his heartbeat. After he was shot at quarantine and Steve had to keep him alive till Grover found a way to get them out and him into an actual OR, his husband suffered from flashback nightmares in which he couldn't save Danny. Only feeling the strong rhythm of the blonde's heartbeat could pull him back to sleep. It seemed that still had the effect to calm Steve.

It finally hit the blond how similar they really were. After Matty's death, he wasn't able to let Steve comfort him straightaway as well. He felt so guilty that he strongly believed he didn't deserve to be soothed by his boyfriend. He'd stayed back in Jersey alone. Had barely answered Steve's calls and messages. He hadn't been able to really let the SEAL close again until he had forgiven himself. With Joe's death, his husband must have felt the same. Danny mentally slapped himself. He should have seen that sooner. It might have saved them some hurt and loneliness. 

The blond sighed. It was all water under the bridge now and all that mattered was that they were finally on their way to recovery.

"We are going to be okay, babe," Danny promised with a sweet kiss to Steve's forehead before he closed his eyes to get some sleep himself.


	38. Put a ring on it

The next morning Danny woke up first. Steve was cuddled up next to him. Still sound asleep, slightly snoring. The blond man was glad to see his husband so relaxed after the exhausting day at work and their emotional heart to heart that took the dark-haired man to his breaking point. He suppressed his urge to let his fingers wander along the outline of the SEAL's face because it might wake him, and he wanted to give him more time to rest. So, the detective decided to make himself a coffee. Carefully he slid out of bed.

While he was waiting in the kitchen for the coffee machine to do its job, it hit him that it was probably best not to let Steve wake up alone. So a few minutes later he was sitting next to his husband on the bed with his coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, scanning the news updates.

He just finished reading the article about Mahoe's nightly press conference when the taller man began to stir. Danny put his phone and the mug down on the nightstand and turned around just in time to see the SEAL opening his eyes. 

There was a smile on Steve's face when his eyes land on his husband next to him. Danny was still there. Last night hadn't been a dream. He was back home in their bed with the man he loved most in the world.

Danny chuckled when he saw that the smile turned into a yawn.

"Good morning, babe." The New Jersey native greeted the other man with a smile of his own.

"Morning Danny." Steve lifted himself into a sitting position.

"How are you feeling? Oh, and be warned if you say `fine´ I might punch you in the face."

Danny's serious voice told the taller man that the punching part wasn't a joke. He had just woken up and his husband wanted him to talk about his feelings again. Finally coming clean last night had felt kind of good, no matter how emotionally draining it was. He felt a bit stupid for fearing his husband's reaction. There had been no judgment, just love, and understanding. He sighed deeply. Maybe to keep talking about his feelings wouldn't be so bad.

"I feel drained and sad after I let out everything, but less tense. And I feel hopeful and relieved. A bit happy even because I'm here with you. Sad and happy, God, does that even make sense?" He scrunched his face up in confusion.

"That are all reasonable feelings in a situation like this. Thanks for being honest with me, babe." Danny took Steve's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Then he cleared his throat.

"And to be honest myself, I have to say, that now that I know everything, I feel bad that I send you away. I should have been more patient. More understanding, so for that I'm sorry." 

"No, Danny. You are allowed to have feelings. I am the one who is at fault here. If I hadn't been so cold and thoughtless regarding you during the whole ordeal in Montana and Laos, we would have never gotten into this situation and for that, I can't say sorry enough. I have to thank you. I know it is not easy to be there for old, broken, complicated me." He turned his face away from Danny. He knew he didn't deserve his husband.

The detective was a master in reading Steve's body language, and he didn't like it when the taller man talked himself down. Danny tenderly put his left hand on the SEAL's cheek to turn his face back to him.

"Steve, look at me. I knew what I signed up for when we got married. I promised to always be there for you when I proposed to you and I will forever stand by what I said."

" _You_ didn't propose to _me_ , _you_ finally agreed to _my_ proposal," Steve corrected him.

"Please don't start that argument again," Danny stifled his husband. They always started to bicker whenever that subject came up. Yeah, Steve might have popped the question several times before, but they only tied the knot after Danny had asked the SEAL to marry him. 

"Is it really an argument when all I do is straighten out the facts after you twisted them?"

"I twisted the facts? Okay, here is what happened. I joined you and that bomb in the helicopter on Kono's wedding day. We were facing death. I was freaking out, but you were so determined to get me back to my kids so that I could help Charlie. That's when I realized that you would do anything, not only for me but also for my children and that I would do the same for you. Already did it a couple of times. Leaving Grace behind, flying into danger zones to get you. And I told you I did it because I just couldn't fathom a life without you anymore. I promised to continue to be always there for you. Then I asked you to marry me." 

"No, what you said was: `I can't fathom a life without you anymore. I want you to be my husband. So, yes Steven. If your offer still stands and we don't end up as glowing in the dark ashes drifting through the seven seas, I will marry you and will be with you forever.´ " 

"Let's just agree to disagree on that matter. The point is, I need and want you in my life – no matter how crazily insane you can get, and I will always be there for you just like you will be there for me. We'll take the good, the bad, and the ugly. That's marriage, babe." Danny smiled brightly at Steve and gave his SEAL an Eskimo kiss. 

Steve felt warm, loved, and comforted. He was so grateful to have Danny as his husband. He rested his forehead against the detective's. He enjoyed the bodily contact, was grateful that he could have this again. They inhaled at the same time, completing the Honi.

"I love you Danny, and I promise, that I will never leave you out again."

"I love you too, babe, and I will hold you to that."

Both men chuckled when that lovely moment got interrupted by Steve's rumbling stomach.

"Oh, I think I feel hungry, too. Haven't eaten in over 18 hours," the dark-haired man admitted.

"Okay, how about I make you some breakfast, while you go and take a shower? A nice and long one, not your 3 minutes in and out Navy bullshit." With that, Danny got off the bed.

"It's the … wait, did you just use the correct military branch?" Steve felt thrown off his game.

"Of course, I know you are a Navy man. I'm not a schmuck." The blond grinned at him cheekily and walked over to the bedroom door. The pillow that his husband threw after him missed him by inches.

Danny was happy that he and Steve finally had their heart to heart. Now that he heard Steve's explanation for why he did what he did and had witnessed firsthand in how much emotional pain his husband still was in, he couldn't be angry at him anymore. The blond even could relate to him. He would give him time to grieve. Maybe, when the time was right, he would encourage him to see a counselor to help him deal with the bad stuff he had to do in the name of the Navy. They all needed to heal. With Steve back home and having Grace and Charlie with them for a whole week, the blond had everything he needed. Everything was right in his world again. He could finally let his caretaking, nurturing side run free. He would pamper his family, especially his daughter and husband. He needed to write a shopping list. He had a lot of food to prepare. There would be, of course, a big pot of his famous Matzo Ball soup – the perfect comfort food. There were also a lot of other family favorites he wanted to make. But first of all, he would make Steve some pancakes. His man needed all the comforting and consoling he could get.

Steve had listened to Danny and had taken a long hot shower. He hadn't felt this refreshed and alive since the last night he'd spend with his husband before he left with Grace for her college tour. Opening up to the detective last night was hard, but it helped immensely. Finally allowing himself to mourn Joe's death and having Danny holding him in his arms had started a healing process. There would be ups and downs, but the pain would recede over time. He had Danny back and he felt like he could finally move forward with his life. He shut off the shower and dried himself off. When he left the ensuite bathroom with a towel around his waist, he could smell something delicious. He hoped for pancakes. The SEAL entered their bedroom and hurried to get dressed so he could find out. 

"Hey, babe!" Danny greeted him with a smile when the dark-haired man came into the kitchen. He was indeed flipping a pancake in the pan. On the countertop next to the stove already set a plate with a short stack of fluffy and perfect pancakes.

Steve returned the smile. 

"I'm nearly done, so sit down," Danny ordered his husband to the chair next to the kitchen counter. Steve did as he was told. Then his stomach grumbled again.

"Okay, okay. I got it. It is time to feed the animal," the blond said and put the plate with the stack of pancakes in front of his husband.

They both smiled at the animal comment. They were back to their normal banter. But then Steve got serious. There was one thing that still wasn't right. He pulled his wedding ring out of his pants pocket and held it out to the blond. When he had been back in Hawaii, he felt it didn't belong next to his dog tags anymore. But it didn't feel right putting it back on his finger himself. So, he had taken it off the chain and kept it in his pocket ever since. But finally, the time had arrived when he would ask his husband to give it back to him.

"Will you put it back on my finger again?" He asked Danny sheepishly. The smaller man looked at him in pure adoration.

"You don't even have to ask, babe." He took the platinum band out of Steve's hand and finally put it back where it belonged. Then he leaned forward and gave his husband a quick, soft kiss on the lips. 

The taller man felt finally whole and home again. They had taken a hurdle and were back on track. His mouth watered when he looked at his breakfast. Chocolate chip and bananas. His favorite. Danny really must have forgiven him. He glanced over to the blond. He still had a smile on his face but was already focused on the remaining pancake in the pan again.

"Don't you sit there and ogle me - dig in. We have a `Welcome Home´ party to prepare!" With that, Danny put the last pancake on the SEAL's plate.

"Hey, is there any chance you'll butter them for me?" Steve asked with a mischievous smile.

"Don't push your luck, Steven," the shorter man warned him lightheartedly waving with the spatula he still had in his hand. 

Yeah, they would be alright.


	39. Extra Virgin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter for you.  
> First they talk some more but then it gets naughty. I hope you'll like it. Please let me know.  
> Warning: Misuse of olive oil ;-)
> 
> \--------------------------------------------S<3D--------------------------------------------

Danny could barely hold back a smile while he watched his husband munching on the pancakes. Steve had the cutest chipmunk cheeks he had ever seen on an adult.

"Shey a sho good, Danny!" The SEAL praised him with his mouth full of pancakes.

The blond was happy that his partner felt well enough to have such an appetite. And while he would love to keep the easy atmosphere going, there was still something that he needed to speak with Steve about. But first, he would let the taller man enjoy his breakfast.

A few minutes later the plate was empty, and the SEAL was rubbing his belly. Danny chuckled at the view. Steve grinned at him.

The detective sighed. It was time for truth-telling part 2 – Danny edition.

"Okay, now that your hunger is stilled, there is something I need to tell you. You know with honesty being the motto of the day and all…"

Steve swallowed hard and worried his lower lip. If he interpreted the tone in his husband's voice correctly, the topic of the conversation wouldn't be light and fluffy like the pancakes. 

"To be honest, I was at odds with myself for a while now whether I should tell you or not. But I think it is important and you should know about it." He handed Steve another cup of coffee.

"You are not filing for divorce, are you?" Deep down he knew they were on track to being okay again, but his usual confidence was not back to 100%. So this was his biggest fear. That his SEAL brain taking over had ruined the best thing he ever had.

"No, you schmuck. You can't get rid of me that easily." He softened the effect of his harsh words by reaching for Steve's hand and tenderly stroking along the inner side of his wrist with his thumb. 

Steve sighed. His mind was now a little bit eased by his husband's comforting and reassuring touch.

"Okay, then fire away," he prompted the shorter man to talk.

"Yeah…okay…first, please relax. It is nothing really bad. I promise."

"But it is some kind of bad?" Steve sounded alarmed.

"Well, it isn't something really good either…"

"Okay, okay… just tell me already."

The detective sighed.

"Last night you said losing me would destroy you. Well, it is the same for me. Not knowing where you were and how you were doing, it nearly killed me. My stress levels were through the roof and my anxiety hit me so hard that I had to take meds against it."

"Anxiety…? Meds…?" Steve looked at his husband with surprised blown eyes. Yeah, Danny could be antsy at times and he had claustrophobia, but the SEAL didn't know that it was so severe that he needed medication.

"Yeah… I've seen an HPD shrink from time to time ever since we were trapped under the collapsed garage. For most of the time, I could keep my anxiety in check with cognitive behavioral therapy. But after we'd spend the day with the stress counselor, I figured that I was actually the one stressed out and worried about the transplant and the radiation poison and that was when the anxiety had gotten worse. I just wasn't able to handle it anymore. I started to have sleeping problems more frequently and somedays I could hardly concentrate on the paperwork after a case. So, I went to another shrink and she deemed my current situation severe enough to prescribe me Klonopin. She instructed me to only take it when my anxiety gets so worse that I have the feeling that the world is falling down on me. And well, you going MIA after what happened to Joe fitted the brief…"

"Oh, Danny…" The SEAL looked at the blond with a sympathetic and guilty face. He was stunned and lost for words. He felt bad for putting his husband through that ordeal.

"No, Steve… I didn't tell you to make you feel bad or pity me. I love you so damn much. I can deal with your day to day craziness. I know most of the time you do your crazy stunts to protect us. I just need you to know how severely your riskier, insane, and reckless stunts and not being able to be with you when you're doing something dangerous are actually affecting my health. I know I can't expect you to change completely. If you did, you wouldn't be the crazy Neanderthal animal I fell madly in love with. Just promise me to never ever leave me in the dark about your whereabouts again, okay?" His eyes were pleading with his SEAL and Steve wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around the blond. But before the dark-haired man could make a move, Danny was talking again.

"And maybe, before you take action, ask yourself WWDD?"

"WWDD?" Steve looked puzzled at his husband's words.

"What would Danny do. I think if you do that, we are both on the safe side. Believe me, I don't want to become a WILF." He reinforced his words by poking his index finger against Steve's chest.

"A what now?" The SEAL never heard of that term before.

"Widower I like to fuck, Steven. Don't make me one."

The taller man chuckled. His husband sounded overdramatic once more, especially using that ridiculous term. It was probably thanks to living with a teenager. But now that he knew about the anxiety and the meds, he was aware that he had to take his love's emotional wellbeing more seriously. There was just one question nagging at his mind.

"Why did you never told me about the anxiety and the meds before, baby?"

"I was afraid you wouldn't take it seriously and would make fun of it like with my claustrophobia," Danny admitted.

Steve finally got off the barstool, took a step forward, and pulled the blond into a warm and loving embrace.

"I was an insensitive ass about that, wasn't I?" His tone was apologetic. Mental health problems and phobias were the real deal. He should know that, but his SEAL brain and training had waved it off as nonsense and exaggeration. He felt a bit ashamed of what a shitty boyfriend/husband he'd been at times.

"You could say that… Charlie would probably call you a big meanie." Danny buried his face in Steve's T-shirt and took a deep breath to inhale the familiar and soothing aroma of his freshly showered SEAL husband.

"I'm so, so sorry, sunshine. I didn't treat you like you deserved. Please forgive me. I pledge to do better. With everything. I will never leave you as I did again. I love you so freaking much, Danny. Hurting you hurts me, and I swear, I try my best to never hurt you again. All I want is for you to be happy and healthy. And I swear to god, I will not allow you to become a WILF… you always and forever will be my… my HILF!?" He hoped he used the right term, and that Danny would believe that he was meaning it seriously. He tenderly rubbed the shorter man's back.

Danny smiled when he heard Steve using that pop culture term. He looked up into the SEAL's eyes and he knew he meant everything he said. Time would tell if he would be able to keep that promise, but the New Jersey native trusted the taller man with all his heart. He thought it was time to seal that pledge by reinforcing their bond. So he decided to lighten the mood a bit…

"So… I'm the husband you like to fuck…", the blond whispered against the sensitive skin on Steve's neck. He could feel the taller man shiver slightly.

"Hell, yes! You are everything I could ever wish for." The SEAL's hands wandered down to Danny's hips and he pulled the blond even closer. Both men felt their arousal awakening.

"You are gorgeous, sexy, smart, kind, brave, courageous. And you have the biggest heart." With every word of his enumeration, Steve kissed his husband on a different place on his face.

The shorter man moaned against Steve's neck, happy that his husband obviously gotten the hint and was on board with it. But the SEAL wasn't done talking.

"You are the best man I know, Danny, and I can't believe that I got so lucky that someone like you loved me enough to marry me."

At that, the blond put a hand on the taller man's cheek and made him look at him.

"Babe, you are a good man yourself. You are selfless. Always there to help the ones in need. Loyal to a fault and despite what you had to endure in your life so far, you still have so much love in your heart. You amaze me, Steve. I couldn't help falling in love with you. Even if you tend to drive me crazy. You are always there for your Ohana. Just try and allow us to be there for you too. Don't shut us out, okay?"

"Yeah… I can do that…"

"Good."

The couple gazed lovingly into each other's eyes and shared a sweet and lazy kiss after their mutual love declaration. 

It wasn't enough for the SEAL, though. He needed to show his husband how much he cherished him.

"You've taken such good care of me so far last night and this morning. Why won't you let me take care of you for a change?" Steve offered with a husky voice. 

Danny locked eyes with him. His expression was full of longing. His heart had waited desperately for these words. Steve - the loving, affectionate, and openhearted man the blond fell in love with - taking care of him was what his soul needed. Makeup sex was the next important step for them to reconcile.

The taller man took the longing in his husband's eyes as permission to proceed. So he leaned in and kissed the blond. The kiss was different from the one before. It was intense. Desperate and needy but also passionate and full of love. It wasn't just a simple kiss. It was a full-body kiss. Danny could feel it down to his toes. 

Steve had directed him away from the kitchen counter and was pressing him against the wall now, to let him feel his body. And to Danny, it just felt right, like something finally clicked into place again. The weight of his husband against him was comfortably reassuring, that Steve was here to stay. Both their cocks had started to harden already.

"Tell me to stop and I'll do it," Steve said. Even if the blond didn't show any sign of rejection, he still needed to make verbally sure Danny really wanted this. 

"Don't you dare!" Danny said and to back up his answer, he started to kiss back as good as he got.

With his husband's consent, Steve kissed him passionately again and reached for the hem of his T-shirt. Reflexively, Danny raised his arms and let the taller man pull the T-shirt over his head. Steve looked hungrily at the blonde's body. Danny looked pretty hot today. After he'd gotten out of bed, he'd changed into a pair of old jeans that hung low on his hips and the soft, washed-out Newark PD T-shirt, which Steve had already taken off of him.

The look in Steve's eyes got Danny all hot and bothered. It was full of lust but also mixed with love and devotion. His husband came even closer to him and put his hands on his hips. Their eyes met briefly before Steve kissed him again. When kissing, they were mostly balanced, but this time it was clearly Steve, who dominated the kiss, and that turned Danny on even more.

Meanwhile, Steve's lips had separated from those of the other man and were heading south. First, down Danny's neck, then they stopped at his collarbone, which he caressed with his teeth and tongue. His hands no longer rested on Danny's hips but brushed up and down his sides. Finally, Steve had arrived at Danny's nipples. The right one he enclosed with his greedy lips, causing pleasure on his husband, while his left hand would satisfy the same desire for Danny's left nipple.

A moment later, Steve had crouched down in front of him. Tenderly, he now caressed Danny's belly. Kissed it, licked it. His partner just tasted so good. Sensual, he let his tongue immerse into Danny's belly button and elicited an excited groan from his husband. That was music in Steve's ears.

Finally, he arrived at the waistband of Danny's jeans. Painfully slowly, he opened the button and zipper. This slowness drove Danny crazy. He knew that Steve wanted to pleasure him with his mouth and could hardly wait to finally feel his husband's lips around his manhood again. God, by their standards it really had been a long time since they were intimate. Danny nearly felt touch starved.

With the same slowness, Steve pulled his jeans down a bit, then he sucked on the tender skin right next to Danny's hipbone and gave him a little hickey. Content with the result, he kissed over it a few more times. Then he rubbed slowly over the bulge between Danny's legs. The blond moaned and let one of his hands brush encouragingly through the SEAL's short hair.

Steve was happy about his husband's reactions to his touches. He wanted to drive him crazy, so Danny would let himself go. The SEAL needed the blond man to know, that he also would always give him what he needed and wanted, that he could rely on him.

Steve was killing him with those sensual, passionate but oh so tender touches. He whimpered as the taller man finally slid his hands over his ass and then lastly fully removed the disturbing pieces of fabric, jeans, and underpants, off him.

The SEAL looked admiringly at Danny's long thick shaft, that in comparison to the rest of his husband's body, was over proportional and deserved to be worshiped. 

Danny was starting to get annoyed by these ongoing delays.

"If you like him so much, I'll gladly take a picture of him so you can watch him over and over again, but now do something, before I'll go insane." The blond ranted.

Steve grinned at his husband's words. He loved that they were back to their easy banter.

"Maybe that's exactly my plan. Maybe I want you to start begging for me." He spread some kisses over Danny's groin, leaving his cock completely out of the question. Danny groaned desperately.

"God, babe! Please…" 

At that Steve caved. 

"Mhm…that is exactly what I wanted to hear." He kissed his husband's already leaking tip.

"Steve…please…don't tease …"

"Shush, baby. I'll take good care of you" were Steve's last words, because then his mouth was busy elsewhere.

It felt so good, so soft, warm, and moist. Steve's pace had changed abruptly when he first had Danny's penis in his mouth and that was very much to the shorter man's liking. His husband now knew all the buttons he had to press, both if he wanted him to come quickly, like now, but also how he could delay everything and torment him with sweet torture until he began to beg, which had been the case before. He felt the SEAL's fingertips dipping into his back dimples, physical attributes that Steve loved very much. He often liked to give that part of Danny special attention before he would start rimming him. 

Steve moaned around his length and then swallowed. Over the years the SEAL had become a pro at deep throating. Danny felt himself getting close and started to praise the taller man.

„So good, babe. Love you … 'm close … oh god!" He had no more time to warn his husband. When Steve began to fondle his balls while swallowing around him again, the blond man saw stars and started to spurt into Steve's willing mouth. 

The SEAL pulled his head back a little so he wouldn't choke on his husband's cum but kept Danny in his mouth for a while and then continued to lick his softened cock clean.

Steve's mouth felt heavenly and Danny would have loved to feel him forever, but he had gotten week in the knees from Steve's blowjob and started to feel overstimulated.

Intuitively, his husband seemed to notice that as well, because he dismissed Danny from his mouth and embraced his hips. Then he straightened up and pushed the blond gently toward the kitchen counter. The SEAL pulled the barstool he'd set on during breakfast to the side. Danny got with the program and let Steve hoist him onto the counter. For a while, Steve stroked his hands over his husband's sides while the two kissed each other slowly and lovingly. Steve was still hard and had not come yet, but he already had an idea of what he would like to do with Danny.

He briefly intensified the kiss again, before their lips parted. Then Steve quickly took off his shirt and tossed it to the side. They looked each other in the eyes and with that told each other more than words could do. They would be okay. They had desperately needed this physical reconnection, so their relationship could really start to heal. Danny was happy and grinned slightly. He stroked the SEAL tenderly through his hair.

Steve's right hand wandered up to his husband's lips. His thumb stroked the shorter man's lips until Danny understood what he wanted and opened his mouth. Then he gently pushed two fingers into Danny's mouth. The blond played around them and moistened them with his tongue.

The SEAL enjoyed the feeling, but after a while, he pulled his fingers back. Steve gently pressed against Danny's chest, signaling him to lay back. The smaller man did as he was told. Thus, his hole was now at the same level as Steve's still clothed erection. The taller man let his spit-coated fingers wander down to his husband's entrance, wanting to use Danny's spit as lube.

Danny understood what Steve wanted to do and hold him back with one hand and grabbed something behind him with the other.

"Won't be enough. Use this" he told Steve and handed him a bottle of olive oil. They didn't stash lube where the kids could find it. There was no way he could let go of Steve long enough for the taller man to fetch lube from the bedroom. The oil had to do. 

"Extra virgin, I don't know about that," Steve said chuckling after reading the bottle's label.

"Shut up and go on with the program."

"On it!" Steve loved that his husband's mouthy side had returned. The SEAL opened the bottle and let a little bit of the oil ran over his fingers and went where he left off. It would get messy, but it would be so worth it.

The smaller man closed his eyes and felt Steve carefully insert finger after finger into him, then slowly moved them in and out to stretch him. Danny threw his head back and bit his lip lightly as his husband hit his prostate for the first time. Slowly, Danny's cock started to show interest again. His husband had a magic mouth and magic fingers.

The SEAL stretched the blonde's hole a little more and looked at him lovingly. Danny was so aroused that he got goosebumps on his skin.

"I love you, baby," Steve said, and almost at the same time, he hit Danny's prostate again.

"Nargh ... I love you too, so much." 

When he thought the blond was stretched enough, the taller one quickly got rid of his jeans and underwear before asking his spouse, "May I? … "

"Yes, yes ... please do it..." Danny replied expectantly.

Steve smiled and grabbed Danny's left hip. Then he drizzled a little of the oil over his cock with his right hand. After that, he took position and slowly pushed into the blonde. Both men moaned lustfully.

When Steve was completely lost in Danny, he gently started to move in him. Meanwhile, he pulled Danny's upper body back up and his husband immediately snuggled up to him and began to stroke his back. Steve continued to thrust into him as he moved his large hands to Danny's firm buttocks and gently massaged them.

"May I try something?" He asked his husband a few minutes later.

"Huh ... mhm ...", were the only sounds coming from Danny, who was so ecstatic that he did not really realize what Steve had just asked him. The taller man, however, interpreted that mumbling as 'yes', so he went on with his plan. He put his hands under Danny's butt and picked him up. Only now did the smaller man realize what his partner was doing with him and started to protest.

"Hey, what are you doing? Put me down you Neanderthal animal!" Nonetheless, he had reflexively wrapped his legs around Steve's waist and put his arms around his neck to hold on tight.

It was exactly what Steve had imagined. Feeling Danny that way only made his blood boil harder. He just had to make sure Danny enjoyed it instead of protesting.

"Danny, you trust me, right?"

"With my life in the field, yes. That you will never cheat on me, yes, but as for acrobatic actions that involve my ass, I'm not so sure, honestly. "

"Relax, let it happen ..." Steve looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. Danny sighed.

"Okay, okay. But don't let me fall… and give me a moment to adjust."

"Don't worry. For eating so many malasadas, you're surprisingly not that heavy." 

"As if you wouldn't eat them, too." Danny retorted.

At that, Steve looked sheepishly.

"Yes, I know all about the dipping, Steven! Did you really tried to double dunk?"

"Grover is a blabbermouth." Steve protested.

"You can't blame the man for telling me about your Neanderthal animal tendencies around coffee and baked goods. Told me, as your husband I should educate you more on the sweeter things in life."

"Oh yeah? The only sweet things I'm interested in at the moment are you and your fine ass. So, no matter what you do, don't let go of me."

"Believe me, I would not dream of that. Please continue, dear crazy husband of mine."

"I love you." Steve kissed Danny intimately.

When he began to move Danny up and down on his cock, the blond was almost clinging to him, but in a positive way. They both just wanted to be as close as possible. An aura of love and trust, that slowly started to build up again, surrounded them. Both visibly enjoyed their little rendezvous in the kitchen.

Although Steve tried that position for the first time with Danny, he had a great grip on everything. Danny felt completely safe with him and after a short period of getting used to it, he was able to let himself go. They were so tightly pressed together that both their abdominal muscles provided a wonderful friction surface for the blonde's cock and it felt fantastic. He repeatedly blew hot kisses on his husband's neck, while Steve brought them both closer and closer to the edge.

Steve was still holding Danny up without support, showing no sign of exhaustion, and even if he would get tired, the kitchen counter was close enough for Steve to drop him off in time if needed. 

Danny tugged at Steve's hair a little, tipping his head back so he could better caress his neck when Steve sank into him. He quickly found the point under his ear that, when kissed, made Steve crazy.

"Shit, Danny ... God, you make me feel so horny ... keep kissing me." And Danny did that until he finally left a hickey there. It would be visible to others, but that did not matter to him and apparently neither to Steve. 

They were completely lost in this moment. Their heated bodies were heading for over-excitement, and it would not be long before they were both ready and coming.

"Fuck, yes! … Right there, Steve. Give it to me …nhm…"

"Danny ... baby ... nargh ..." And without another word Steve reached his climax. He pulled the smaller man as close as possible.

As he contracted around his husband's erection, Danny spread the result of his orgasm between their sweaty bodies.

Breathing heavily, he put Danny back on the counter shortly thereafter. He glided cautiously out of him and the smaller man remained sitting there, exhausted, but extremely content, leaning against his husband, who was no less exhausted and content.

The SEAL could do with a short break and pushed Danny back, then leaned forward and rested his head on Danny's chest, his remaining upper body was also above him, but he still supported himself with his hands.

"Are you tired, babe?" Danny asked his husband, gently stroking over Steve's cheek.

"Hm ... a little maybe, but first I have to clean you up a bit," Steve said and began to slowly lick Danny's cum off him. His husband enjoyed this extra treatment for a while but then he started to feel a little uncomfortable with Steve's semen starting to leak out of his hole and onto the kitchen counter. When the SEAL leaned back onto him and the counter squeaked dangerously, the blond had enough.

"Get off me, you kitchen counter wrecker," Danny said with an amused chuckle.

"You weren't complaining while we were doing it," Steve replied.

"Well you Neanderthal animal, that was then and now is now. Let's take a shower. I'm feeling filthy."

"Mhm… I like you filthy," the SEAL said and pulled his husband in for another wet, messy kiss.

"You, me, shower, now!" Danny said more firmly.

"Okay, but can we use Grace's cucumber body wash, though? It would go perfectly with the olive oil I used on you." Steve grinned at him proud of his joke.

"You think your funny, don't you?" Danny said with an eye roll and finally pushed the SEAL off him.

"I think I'm hilarious." His husband declared smugly. 

"You are unbelievable!" Danny said and started to walk towards the bathroom.

"Unbelievable funny, you mean, right?" Steve asked and followed his husband. So far, this day was awesome.


	40. Welcome home, Gracie!

Their post-coital make-out session in the shower was cut short by an obnoxious and ongoing ringing at the front door that was followed by knocks. Danny broke the kiss, snuck out of their embrace, and stepped out of the shower. Steve wined unhappily at the loss of contact.

"Shit. That must be Flippa or Kamekona," Danny said while he quickly dried himself off.

"What? Already?"

"Yeah. I asked them if one of them could come over early to watch Charlie while Rachel and I went to pick up Grace."

The SEAL looked at him in confusion and a bit of hurt. Danny would rather let one of the big boys look after Charlie than him? 

The blond knew his husband well enough to recognize his `Am I not trustworthy enough?´ face. While it was one of Steve's rarest faces, Danny still remembered it from the time Doris returned to her son's life with her pandora box full of secrets and lies. He never wanted to be the reason for that face appearing on his Super SEAL.

"Don't look at me like that, Steven. It is nothing like you think. Obviously, with the case you guys had going on I hadn't planned for you to be available when I made the arrangement on Thursday."

Steve sighed relieved at the detective's explanation.

"But now Charlie gets to spend time with you, and he will love that. So, hurry up." With that Danny left the bathroom to get dressed.

When Steve was shaved and dressed, the blond man was already in the kitchen scanning what Flippa had brought over from the restaurant that used to be Steve and his retirement dream. 

"Well that should be enough for Grace's `Welcome home party feast´," Danny exclaimed.

"Yeah. Kamekona will bring the drinks later, but everything else is set. We just have to reheat it when the party starts," Flippa said.

"What's up, Flippa," Steve greeted the big guy.

"Aloha, Steve. Didn't know you would be here as well."

"We closed the case last night and here I am."

"Great. I was planning on playing some board games with the Keiki and the more the merrier."

"Okay, Rachel should be here pretty soon. Adam will bring the decoration in half an hour and Kamekona should arrive with beverages at the same time. Make sure that the food is ready to serve soon after we bring our girl home," Danny listed what needed to be done.

"We gotcha, brah," Flippa assured the shorter man.

"Thanks. I want Grace's party to be as perfect as possible."

"She will be so happy to be home and able to have good food available again," Steve said.

Danny sighed.

"Yeah. She looks so skinny. Some home-cooked meals will help to nurse her back to full health."

The doorbell rang.

"That will be Rachel with Charlie" Danny announced and went to open the door.

"Danno!" His son excitedly greeted the detective.

"Hey, buddy! Are you happy that your sister can come home today?"

"Yes! I painted a banner for Gracie!"

"You did? That's awesome. She'll like it."

"He was hoping it could be part of the decoration," Rachel said.

"Of course. Do you want to come in for coffee or should we drive to the hospital straight away?" Danny asked his Ex.

Steve had followed his husband. He heard the offer and was a bit surprised. Over the time of their daughter's stay at the hospital, Danny and Rachel's relationship obviously had shifted from polite to friendly. There had never been a coffee invitation before when they handed over the kids. Not even at Christmas. At least not that he knew about.

"I think we should get on the road. The guy on the radio said something about killer waves on the North Shore. I don't want to get caught in traffic."

"Good idea. A lot of surfers will be on their way up there," Steve said to make his presence known.

"Uncle Steve!" Charlie shouted overjoyed at seeing the man and ran over to him. The SEAL snatched him up and hugged him.

"Hi, Charlie! You want to help feed Tol and Smol?"

The boy nodded eagerly. 

"Awesome. You guys take care of the fish and we will get Gracie home," Danny said.

"Sounds like a plan," Rachel agreed. She smiled at Steve and Charlie, glad that her son and the Commander were so close. And she couldn't help but notice the respectable hickey on the taller man's neck. Rachel was pleased that Danny and he were obviously back to normal.

"Okay, who wants some shaved Ice?" Flippa entered the room with a cherry-flavored snow cone, Charlie's favorite. It must have been in the cooler that the Hawaiian native had brought in together with the Tiramisu. 

The little boy looked at his parents, silently asking for permission. 

Normally Rachel and Danny wouldn't allow sweet treats that early in the day, but today was a day to celebrate and so Charlie's mother nodded with an agreeing smile. 

"Me, me!" The blond boy was waving at Flippa in anticipation. All the adults in the room were beaming adorably at Charlie.

"Don't forget to help Uncle Steve with the fish, buddy," Danny reminded his son of his duties. 

"I've got everything under control, Danny. Go pick up Grace," Steve prompted.

The blond man gave his husband a loving smile before he grabbed his keys and lead Rachel to the Camaro.

~About an hour later~

They were all waiting for their guest of honor. Finally, they heard the Camaro outside.

"They are here!" Charlie shouted excitedly down from Adam's shoulders. Steve smiled. It had been so cute watching the little boy helping Adam with some final touches for Grace's `Welcome Home´ party.

A minute later the front door opened, and everybody was cheering and applauding when they watched Grace enter the room. 

The girl smiled surprised.

"Dad, did you know?" She asked her father.

"No, I didn't know anything", Danny lied and shared a smile with Rachel at the successful surprise. While Steve was happy that those two were getting along so well, he had to admit to himself that he was jealous of the co-parent's new-found closeness. He didn't like Danny smiling like that at his Ex at all.

"Uh, Charlie put up the banner. I was just the ladder", Adam explained.

"I painted it, too," Charlie told his sister proudly.

"Yeah, Charlie!", Steve praised the boy.

"Oh, by the way, I have a message for you from, uh, a Will? He says he'll be here tomorrow. He can't wait to see you" Grover announced and hugged Grace.

Then it was finally Steve's turn to hug his girl.

"Welcome home, honey. Come here."

"Enough with the hugging. You are all squishing her. Come on, let's eat", Danny intervened and herded his daughter towards the couch.

At the same time, Flippa came out of the kitchen and announced that the Ziti was ready. Danny rolled his eyes and complained that the way the big guy said it didn't sound right.

A few minutes later everyone was eating.

After Steve had brought Grace a plate of food, he went to talk to Tani and her brother who was sitting with Adam in the dining room. When he had passed on the DEA's gratitude for their good work on the drug case, he had turned around and noticed how his husband served Rachel a plate of food out on the little patio space with a charming smile on his face. He felt another wave of jealousy rolling over him. He wanted to be the only one Danny smiled at like that. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by that uncommon emotion he eased his way towards the kitchen and grabbed the trash bag just to have an excuse to slip out the front door to get some air.

It was ridiculous. He wasn't a jealous guy. Danny had warned him to be careful when Billy and Cath had started working together. Steve hadn't seen a reason to worry. Okay in retrospect it was probably because he never cared as much about Cath as he should have. No wonder, he was already head over heels for his blond partner when his stubborn mind pursued a more committed relationship with Cath so he wouldn't end up alone. But it was different with Danny. The detective was his everything, but with them just getting their grove back into their marriage he couldn't help feeling a tiny bit threatened by the regained amicability between Rachel and Danny. Especially not when those two had the most complicated relationship an ex-couple could have.

He shook his head. There was no reason for him to be jealous. He knew that. There had been more intimacy between the blond man and him last night and this morning than there was in that simple, polite gesture of Danny handing over a plate of food to his Ex with a smile on his face. He lovingly rubbed over his wedding ring that Danny had put back on his finger just a few hours ago. He was acting silly. His husband loved him, not Rachel. They were only co-parents who finally found a way to get along – a huge benefit for the whole Williams-McGarrett-Hollander clan. He was about to get back into the house when his phone rang.

~A few minutes earlier~

While playing host to his family and friends, Danny had noticed that Rachel had secluded herself to the little patio area. With his chosen family around it was probably a bit too much for her and maybe she felt left out. He usually kept his Ex separate from his extended Ohana and Rachel barely knew the others. It just felt wrong to him to let her sit around there alone. So he filled up a plate for her and joined the mother of his children. In passing, he saw Steve talking to Tani and the other younglings. He smiled. It felt so good to have his husband back home. He was still smiling when he set down the plate in front of Rachel.

"I hope you're hungry."

"Oh, thank you. Yes, I'm starving."

"Well, dig in."

"You okay?" He asked her after she has taken a few bites.

"Yeah. I just enjoy watching Grace and Charlie interacting with your team. It is good to see how much your Ohana loves them. I'm very grateful that our kids have such a big support system." And she was a bit envious of Danny and the kids having such a loyal chosen family while she struggled with keeping her own brief friendships with coworkers and people from the country club alive. Especially after Stan and her gotten divorced.

"These guys grow on you," Danny said with a fond smile.

"I also noticed that big smile you have on your face ever since I arrived here before we drove to the hospital to pick up our daughter. Has it something to do with the hickey on the neck of your tall, dark, and handsome Commander that I noticed earlier?"

There was the tiniest hint of a blush appearing on the blonde's face. Normally they didn't talk about each other's love life when it wasn't affecting their kids. But Grace's accident had changed their relationship. Worrying and caring for their daughter had loosened it up and helped them to find closure for their failed marriage. Danny believed that they finally could become friends. She deserved an answer, but he wouldn't go into detail.

"He is still going through some stuff, but we talked last night and yeah, we made up," Danny admitted joyfully. The awesome make-up sex was none of her business.

"I'm happy for you, Danny. You are good together. The kids will be happy as well."

"Yeah. Sometimes I think they love him more than me," the blond joked.

"That is not possible. You are their Danno."

"Now you just sound like Steve."

"It is the truth. What can I say? This ossobuco is delicious by the way."

"Steve loves it too. I made it for our first stay-at-home dinner date." And it got him into the SEAL's pants, but Rachel didn't need to know that.

"Wait, didn't we had ossobuco on our first date as well?"

"We did?" He looked a bit surprised.

"Yes, we did. I remember that taste. Oh my god, you are a one-trick pony, Mr. Williams. Seducing your lovers with ossobuco since the late '90s," she teased him lightheartedly. 

"Well, you know the saying. The way to a person's heart goes through their stomach. According to Kamekona, the dish is actually a best-seller at the restaurant."

"Speaking about the restaurant. Do you have any new retirement plans?"

"No. I'm quite happy with the status quo at the moment. Maybe I'll think about it again when Charlie enters High School. Do you want some dessert? Flippa brought over tiramisu."

"If it is as good as the ossobuco, I'll take a small portion."

"Okay. One tiramisu coming right up."

"Don't be silly. You don't have to play waiter. I know where the kitchen is. I can get it myself. Go be with your Ohana before they send out a search party."

"You are Grace and Charlie's mother, you are Ohana to them as well, you know?" Danny told his Ex.

"Yeah…sure," was all she said knowing that after what she put Danny through his Ohana would never truly treat her the same as Danny and the kids. 

The blond man looked at her sternly for a moment but then decided to go find his husband. Rachel was an adult. She had to decide if she wanted to mingle with the other guests or not.

When Danny entered the living room again, he didn't see Steve anywhere. He stepped over to the couch table. Charlie amused himself by finding out how far he could string the cheese that had melted over the baked Ziti.

"Hey, no playing with your food, Charlie. We talked about that," he warned his son. The boy pouted but stopped.

"Monkey, have you seen Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, he went out to put out the trash," she told her dad.

"Thanks for the info. Eat up and ask Flippa to get you a second helping."

~Outside~

"Yeah…thanks for letting me know. I'll be there." Steve ended the call.

"You alright?" Danny asked his husband and wrapped an arm around the SEAL's waist.

"That was Joe's lawyer. They found a date and place for the memorial service."

"Okay. Where and when have we to go?"

Steve sighed heavily.

"It will be held at the Navy center in Coronado. I'll fly out to San Diego on Thursday. The service is Friday morning."

"You mean we will fly to San Diego on Thursday. There is no way I let you go through the ordeal of your fatherly friend's memorial service alone."

"But you have the kids and Rachel only returns on Friday afternoon. I don't want to deprive you of your time with Grace and Charlie. Why would you exchange something delightful with something depressing?"

Danny gave him the `Are you serious?´ look. His husband could be so dense sometimes.

"Don't be an idiot, Steven. You are my husband. I vowed to always be there for you. Good times and bad times, remember? I'll ask Rachel if she can catch an earlier flight or we'll ask the Grovers if they can take the kids while we're away. Whatever, we'll find a way because no matter what, I will be by your side. You are not alone in this, you hear me?" He had grabbed Steve's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Steve looked at him with misty eyes. He was glad that he could always count on Danny. He had the best husband in the world.

"Yeah, I hear you… thank you for sticking with me."

"Of course, you big oaf." He stepped on his toes and tenderly brushed his lips against Steve's.

"Now let's go back inside and get something to eat. I think there is still some ossobuco left."

"I love you so much, Danny!"

The blond just rolled his eyes at the goofy smile that now was on his husband's face after food was mentioned. He was glad that he'd listened to his heart and decided to forgive him.


End file.
